Shloka 20

Matsya Purana — Description of Pralaya: Drying

Devanagari script

अनेकानि सहस्राणि युगान्येकार्णवाम्भसि न चैनं कश्चिदव्यक्तं व्यक्तं वेदितुमर्हति //

Transliteration

anekāni sahasrāṇi yugānyekārṇavāmbhasi na cainaṃ kaścidavyaktaṃ vyaktaṃ veditumarhati //

Translation

For many thousands of yugas, (all) lay in the waters of the single cosmic ocean; and no one is able to truly know That—unmanifest—(as though it were) manifest and graspable.

Word by Word

• anekāni: many

• sahasrāṇi: thousands

• yugāni: yuga-cycles/ages

• ekārṇava-ambhasi: in the waters of the one (undivided) cosmic ocean

• na: not

• ca: and

• enam: this/That (ultimate principle)

• kaścit: anyone

• avyaktaṃ: the unmanifest (subtle, beyond perception)

• vyaktaṃ: the manifest (perceptible, defined)

• veditum: to know/realize

• arhati: is able/has the capacity (is fit).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu (Pralaya discourse context)

Entities Mentioned

• Matsya
• Vaivasvata Manu
• Pralaya
• Avyakta
• Ekarnava (cosmic ocean)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Cosmology
• Avyakta-Vyakta
• Matsya-Avatara
• Metaphysics

FAQs

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

It portrays pralaya as a long phase where the cosmos is submerged in a single undifferentiated ocean, and reality remains primarily “unmanifest” (avyakta), beyond ordinary knowing.

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

It implies humility and restraint: rulers and householders should recognize the limits of human certainty in cosmic matters, and therefore govern and live by dharma rather than egoistic claims of absolute knowledge.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vastu or ritual rule is stated; indirectly, it frames temple/ritual practice as a means to approach the unmanifest through manifest forms (icons, rites), while acknowledging the ultimate remains beyond full conceptual grasp.