Shloka 5

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

Devanagari script

यो ऽसौ चतुर्दशर्क्षेषु शिशुमारो व्यवस्थितः उत्तानपादपुत्रो ऽसौ मेढीभूतो ध्रुवो दिवि //

Transliteration

yo 'sau caturdaśarkṣeṣu śiśumāro vyavasthitaḥ uttānapādaputro 'sau meḍhībhūto dhruvo divi //

Translation

That celestial Śiśumāra (the cosmic dolphin-form) stationed amid the fourteen nakṣatras is Dhruva, the son of Uttānapāda, fixed in the heavens as the pivot-post—the cosmic axle about which all revolves.

Word by Word

yaḥwho/that

asauthat very (well-known)

caturdaśa-ṛkṣeṣuamong the fourteen asterisms (nakṣatras)

śiśumāraḥŚiśumāra (cosmic dolphin/porpoise form, stellar configuration)

vyavasthitaḥstationed/established

uttānapāda-putraḥthe son of Uttānapāda

asauthat very one

meḍhī-bhūtaḥbecome the pivot-post/axle (fixed central support)

dhruvaḥDhruva (the Pole Star, the steadfast one)

diviin heaven/in the sky

Speaker

Lord Matsya (instructing Vaivasvata Manu on cosmology and the stellar order)

Entities Mentioned

DhruvaUttānapādaŚiśumāraNakṣatras

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it presents the stable cosmic order after creation—Dhruva as the fixed pivot in the heavens around which the stellar arrangement (Śiśumāra) is conceived.

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

Indirectly, it models dhruvatā—steadfastness and stability: just as Dhruva is the fixed pivot of the heavens, the ideal king/householder should be firm in dharma, becoming a stabilizing center for society and family.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu or temple rule is stated, but the idea of a 'pivot/axis' (meḍhī) supports ritual-cosmological mapping: temples and altars are often aligned to a central axis (brahmasthāna/axis mundi) reflecting a stable cosmic center like Dhruva.