Shloka 22

Matsya Purana — Devayānī and Śarmiṣṭhā’s Quarrel

Devanagari script

*शौनक उवाच तामथ ब्राह्मणीं स्त्रीं च विज्ञाय नहुषात्मजः गृहीत्वा दक्षिणे पाणाव् उज्जहार ततो ऽवटात् //

Transliteration

*śaunaka uvāca tāmatha brāhmaṇīṃ strīṃ ca vijñāya nahuṣātmajaḥ gṛhītvā dakṣiṇe pāṇāv ujjahāra tato 'vaṭāt //

Translation

Śaunaka said: Then, recognizing her to be a Brahmin woman, the son of Nahusha took her by the right hand and lifted her up from that pit.

Word by Word

• शौनक उवाच: Śaunaka said

• ताम् अथ: then her

• ब्राह्मणीम् स्त्रीम्: a Brahmin woman

• च: and/indeed

• विज्ञाय: having recognized/understood

• नहुष-आत्मजः: the son of Nahusha

• गृहीत्वा: having taken/held

• दक्षिणे पाणौ: in/by the right hand

• उज्जहार: lifted out/raised up

• ततः: from there/then

• अवटात्: from the pit/well.

Speaker

• Śaunaka

Entities Mentioned

• Śaunaka
• Nahusha
• Brahmin woman (brāhmaṇī strī)

Tags

• Genealogy
• Yayati-cycle
• Ethics
• Protection
• Dharma

FAQs

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

Nothing directly—this verse is narrative and ethical in tone, focusing on rescue and right conduct rather than cosmology or pralaya.

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

It reflects the dharmic duty of protection: recognizing a vulnerable person (here, a brāhmaṇī) and actively rescuing her—an ideal expected of rulers and righteous householders in Purāṇic ethics.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or ritual procedure is taught here; the only concrete detail is the setting of an avata (pit/well), used as a narrative location rather than an architectural rule.