Shloka 23
Matsya Purana — Description of Gomedaka and Puṣkara Dvīpas; the Lokāloka Boundary; Ocean Tide...
सत्यानृते न तेष्वास्तां धर्माधर्मौ तथैव च वर्णाश्रमाणां वार्त्ता च पाशुपाल्यं वणिक्कृषिः //
satyānṛte na teṣvāstāṃ dharmādharmau tathaiva ca varṇāśramāṇāṃ vārttā ca pāśupālyaṃ vaṇikkṛṣiḥ //
Among them, neither truth nor untruth prevailed; likewise, neither dharma nor adharma was established. The social order of the varṇas and āśramas, and the customary livelihoods—cattle-herding, trade, and agriculture—also did not exist.
FAQs
It describes a primordial or early condition of society where moral dualities (truth/untruth; dharma/adharma) and structured social institutions (varṇa-āśrama and formal livelihoods) are not yet established—more indicative of an unstructured beginning than a detailed pralaya event.
By implying that ordered society requires defined dharma, varṇāśrama roles, and stable livelihoods (herding, trade, farming), it supports the Rajadharma idea that a king safeguards social structure and economic order, while householders sustain vārttā through ethical work.
None directly—this verse focuses on social and economic organization rather than Vastu or ritual procedure; its relevance is contextual, showing that ritual and temple/settlement systems presuppose an established social order.