Shloka 29

Matsya Purana — Dhruva as Cosmic Pivot: Motions of Sun–Moon–Planets

Devanagari script

ध्रुवेणाधिष्ठिताश्चापः सूर्यो वै गृह्य तिष्ठति सर्वभूतशरीरेषु त्व् आपो ह्यनुश्रिताश्च याः //

Transliteration

dhruveṇādhiṣṭhitāścāpaḥ sūryo vai gṛhya tiṣṭhati sarvabhūtaśarīreṣu tv āpo hyanuśritāśca yāḥ //

Translation

The Waters are upheld by Dhruva; and the Sun, having taken hold of that support, remains stationed. Indeed, the very Waters—those on which all embodied beings depend—are interwoven through the bodies of all creatures.

Word by Word

• ध्रुवेण (dhruveṇa): by Dhruva/the Pole-star principle

• अधिष्ठिताः (adhiṣṭhitāḥ): supported, upheld

• च (ca): and

• आपः (āpaḥ): the Waters (cosmic waters)

• सूर्यः (sūryaḥ): the Sun

• वै (vai): indeed

• गृह्य (gṛhya): having grasped/taken hold

• तिष्ठति (tiṣṭhati): stands, remains

• सर्वभूतशरीरेषु (sarvabhūtaśarīreṣu): in the bodies of all beings

• तु (tu): indeed/but

• आपः (āpaḥ): waters

• हि (hi): for/indeed

• अनुश्रिताः (anuśritāḥ): resorted to, pervading, dependent upon

• च (ca): and

• याः (yāḥ): which/that (waters).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (teaching Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Dhruva
• Surya
• Apah (Cosmic Waters)

Tags

• Cosmology
• Pralaya
• Elements
• Sacred Geography
• Puranic Science

FAQs

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

It presents the Waters (āpaḥ) as a fundamental cosmic support—linked to Dhruva and the Sun—implying that at Pralaya, when the cosmic order loosens, the waters that pervade beings and worlds become dominant again.

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

By stressing that water pervades all bodies and sustains life, it supports the dharmic priority of protecting water sources—wells, tanks, rivers, and irrigation—as a core royal duty and a householder’s daily ethic (non-waste, purity, and charitable water-giving).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Vāstu and ritual practice treat water as a life-supporting principle: siting and preserving tīrthas, wells, and temple tanks (puṣkariṇī) aligns built space with cosmic order, echoing the verse’s idea that waters are foundational and pervasive.