Shloka 56

Matsya Purana — Description of Gomedaka and Puṣkara Dvīpas; the Lokāloka Boundary; Ocean Tide...

Devanagari script

पृथ्व्यादयस्तु वाय्वन्ताः परिच्छिन्नास्तु तत्र ते भूतेभ्यः परतस् तेभ्यो ह्य् अलोकः सर्वतः स्मृतः //

Transliteration

pṛthvyādayastu vāyvantāḥ paricchinnāstu tatra te bhūtebhyaḥ paratas tebhyo hy alokaḥ sarvataḥ smṛtaḥ //

Translation

Earth and the other elements, up to and including wind, are held to be bounded there. Beyond those elements, on every side, lies what is remembered as ‘Aloka’—the lightless region.

Word by Word

• pṛthvī-ādayaḥ: earth and the rest (of the elements)

• tu: indeed/and

• vāyu-antāḥ: ending with wind (up to wind)

• paricchinnāḥ: delimited, bounded

• tatra: there (in that cosmological scheme)

• te: they

• bhūtebhyaḥ: than/ from the elements (gross beings)

• parataḥ: beyond, further

• tebhyaḥ: beyond them

• hi: indeed

• alokaḥ: Aloka, the lightless realm/region

• sarvataḥ: on all sides, everywhere around

• smṛtaḥ: is said/remembered in tradition.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, cosmological exposition)

Entities Mentioned

• Aloka
• Pṛthvī (Earth element)
• Vāyu (Wind element)
• Bhūtas (Elements)

Tags

• Cosmology
• Pralaya
• Panchabhuta
• Lokas
• MatsyaPurana

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

It frames the gross elements (earth through wind) as finite and bounded, implying that during Pralaya the manifest, element-based cosmos gives way to a beyond—the ‘Aloka’—outside ordinary elemental space.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

Indirectly, it supports the Matsya Purana’s ethical stance that worldly power and possessions are limited (paricchinna); kings and householders should rule and live with restraint, remembering the bounded nature of the elemental world.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vastu or ritual rule is stated, but the cosmological idea of bounded realms informs Purāṇic temple symbolism—temples model the ordered, delimited cosmos, oriented against the darkness ‘beyond’ (aloka) through sanctified light and directionality.