Shloka 21

Matsya Purana — Description of Pralaya: Drying

Devanagari script

कश्चैव पुरुषो नाम किंयोगः कश्च योगवान् असौ कियन्तं कालं च एकार्णवविधिं प्रभुः //

Transliteration

kaścaiva puruṣo nāma kiṃyogaḥ kaśca yogavān asau kiyantaṃ kālaṃ ca ekārṇavavidhiṃ prabhuḥ //

Translation

Who indeed is that ‘Person’ by name? What is ‘Yoga’? And who is that Yogin? O Lord, for how long (does it last), and what is the prescribed procedure concerning the single cosmic ocean (ekārṇava)?

Word by Word

• kaḥ: who?

• ca: and

• eva: indeed

• puruṣaḥ: the Person (cosmic being/primordial person)

• nāma: by name/so-called

• kim: what?

• yogaḥ: yoga (the means of union/discipline)

• kaḥ: who?

• ca: and

• yogavān: the one endowed with yoga, a yogin

• asau: that one

• kiyantam: how much/how long

• kālam: time/duration

• ca: and

• ekārṇava-vidhim: the method/ordinance regarding the one-ocean state (cosmic deluge)

• prabho: O Lord

Speaker

• Vaivasvata Manu (questioning Lord Matsya)

Entities Mentioned

• Puruṣa
• Yoga
• Yogavān (Yogin)
• Ekārṇava (the single cosmic ocean)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Matsya-Avatara
• Yoga
• Cosmology
• Manu

FAQs

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

It frames pralaya as an ekārṇava—an all-encompassing single ocean—and asks for its rule/procedure and duration, indicating a technical cosmological account rather than a purely poetic flood description.

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

Manu’s questioning models dharmic leadership: a king seeks precise knowledge of cosmic law (time, method, and discipline like yoga) to govern ethically and prepare society for cycles of change.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or temple rule is stated; the verse instead sets a ritual-philosophical frame by asking for the ‘vidhi’ (prescribed method) concerning pralaya and yogic understanding.