Shloka 4

Matsya Purana — Description of Pralaya: Drying

Devanagari script

मूत्रासृक्क्लेदम् अन्यच्च यदस्ति प्राणिषु ध्रुवम् तत्सर्वमरविन्दाक्ष आदत्ते पुरुषोत्तमः //

Transliteration

mūtrāsṛkkledam anyacca yadasti prāṇiṣu dhruvam tatsarvamaravindākṣa ādatte puruṣottamaḥ //

Translation

Whatever is inevitably present in living beings—urine, blood, bodily moisture, and other such impurities—all of that the lotus-eyed Supreme Person (Puruṣottama) takes upon Himself (i.e., absorbs and removes).

Word by Word

• मूत्र (mūtra): urine

• आसृक्/असृक् (āsṛk/asṛk): blood

• क्लेदम् (kledam): moisture, bodily wetness/ooze

• अन्यत् च (anyat ca): and other (things) too

• यत् अस्ति (yad asti): whatever exists

• प्राणिषु (prāṇiṣu): in living beings

• ध्रुवम् (dhruvam): inevitable, certain

• तत् सर्वम् (tat sarvam): all that

• अरविन्दाक्ष (aravindākṣa): lotus-eyed (Vishnu)

• आदत्ते (ādatte): takes, assumes, absorbs

• पुरुषोत्तमः (puruṣottamaḥ): the Supreme Person (Vishnu).

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) describing the doctrine of the lotus-eyed Puruṣottama (Vishnu)

Entities Mentioned

• Aravindākṣa
• Puruṣottama
• Vishnu

Tags

• Pralaya
• Purification
• Vishnu
• Moksha
• Puranic Theology

FAQs

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

It presents a theological principle that the Supreme Lord (Puruṣottama) can ‘take up’ or absorb even the gross, impure constituents bound to embodied life—an idea consistent with dissolution motifs where all conditions ultimately return to the Divine.

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

For householders and rulers, it reinforces the ethic of cleanliness and restraint: bodily impurity is natural to embodiment, so one should practice purity (śauca), regulated living, and devotion—seeking divine purification rather than denying the body’s realities.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or iconographic rule is stated; the ritual takeaway is the emphasis on purification—supporting the logic of cleansing rites (snāna, ācamana, śuddhi) before worship, where the Lord is invoked as the remover/absorber of impurity.