Shloka 12

Matsya Purana — Dialogue of Aṣṭaka and Yayāti: Exhaustion of Merit

Devanagari script

*अष्टक उवाच अन्यद्वपुर्विदधातीह गर्भ उताहोस्वित्स्वेन कामेन याति आपद्यमानो नरयोनिमेताम् आचक्ष्व मे संशयात्पृच्छतस्त्वम् //

Transliteration

*aṣṭaka uvāca anyadvapurvidadhātīha garbha utāhosvitsvena kāmena yāti āpadyamāno narayonimetām ācakṣva me saṃśayātpṛcchatastvam //

Translation

Aṣṭaka said: “Does the embryo here fashion for itself another body, or does it—driven by its own desire—enter upon and attain this human womb? Tell me clearly, for I ask you in doubt.”

Word by Word

• aṣṭaka uvāca: Aṣṭaka said

• anyat: another/different

• vapuḥ: body/form

• vidadhāti: fashions/produces/constructs

• iha: here (in this world/in the womb-state)

• garbhaḥ: the embryo/foetus

• utāho svit: or indeed

• svena: by its own

• kāmena: desire/impulse (kāma)

• yāti: goes/attains/enters

• āpadyamānaḥ: coming into being/entering into a condition/being produced

• nara-yonim: the human womb/human birth

• etām: this

• ācakṣva: explain/tell

• me: to me

• saṃśayāt: from doubt/because of uncertainty

• pṛcchataḥ: of (me) asking/inquiring

• tvam: you.

Speaker

• Aṣṭaka (the questioner in dialogue)

Entities Mentioned

• Aṣṭaka
• Garbha (embryo)
• Kāma (desire)
• Narayoni (human womb)

Tags

• Rebirth
• Embryology
• Karma
• Desire
• Human birth

FAQs

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

This verse is not about cosmic dissolution; it focuses on individual embodiment—how an embryo/jīva comes to a human womb, whether by self-formation of a body or by the force of its own desire.

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

By framing human birth as a consequence of inner impulses (kāma) and the process of embodiment, it underlines why self-restraint, ethical conduct, and regulated desire are central virtues for householders and rulers in Purāṇic dharma.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple-building rule is stated here; the verse belongs to doctrinal inquiry (garbha/jīva entry into the womb), not architectural or ritual procedure.