Shloka 49
Matsya Purana — Description of Gomedaka and Puṣkara Dvīpas; the Lokāloka Boundary; Ocean Tide...
भूमेर्दशगुणाश्चापः समन्तात्पालयन्ति गाम् अद्भ्यो दशगुणश्चाग्निः सर्वतो धारयत्य् अपः //
bhūmerdaśaguṇāścāpaḥ samantātpālayanti gām adbhyo daśaguṇaścāgniḥ sarvato dhārayaty apaḥ //
The waters, tenfold in measure compared to the earth, encircle and protect, sustaining the world. From the waters arises fire—again tenfold—which on every side upholds and bears those waters.
FAQs
It presents a Puranic cosmological structure where elements exist in expanding layers—waters envelop and sustain the earth, and fire in turn supports the waters—an ordered framework often invoked when explaining how the cosmos is upheld and how it can be withdrawn in dissolution.
By analogy, it models dharma as mutual support: just as a larger surrounding layer protects what it contains, a king protects his realm and a householder sustains dependents—each level ‘upholding’ the next through responsible guardianship.
While not a direct Vāstu rule, it underpins Vāstu and ritual cosmology by mapping the world as layered and supported; such elemental ordering is commonly mirrored in temple/altar symbolism (bhū–āpaḥ–agni) during consecration and fire-ritual contexts.