Shloka 17

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

Devanagari script

*अष्टक उवाच यः संस्थितः पुरुषो दह्यते वा निखन्यते वापि निकृष्यते वा अभावभूतः स विनाशमेत्य केनात्मानं चेतयते पुरस्तात् //

Transliteration

*aṣṭaka uvāca yaḥ saṃsthitaḥ puruṣo dahyate vā nikhanyate vāpi nikṛṣyate vā abhāvabhūtaḥ sa vināśametya kenātmānaṃ cetayate purastāt //

Translation

Aṣṭaka said: “That embodied person who remains here—whether he is burnt, buried, or dragged away—having become a state of non-being, goes to destruction. Then by what does the Self (ātman) become aware beforehand, that is, while still living?”

Word by Word

• अष्टक उवाच: Aṣṭaka said

• यः: who

• संस्थितः: standing/remaining (in existence, embodied)

• पुरुषः: person, embodied being

• दह्यते: is burnt

• वा: or

• निखन्यते: is buried/covered in the earth

• वा अपि: or even

• निकृष्यते: is dragged/pulled away

• वा: or

• अभावभूतः: having become non-being/absence (ceased as a manifest person)

• सः: he

• विनाशम्: destruction

• एति: goes to/attains

• केन: by what (means/agency)

• आत्मानम्: the Self

• चेतयते: becomes conscious, apprehends, is aware

• पुरस्तात्: beforehand/previously, in front (i.e., prior to death).

Speaker

• Aṣṭaka

Entities Mentioned

• Aṣṭaka
• Puruṣa
• Ātman

Tags

• Atman
• Death
• Consciousness
• Moksha
• Philosophy

FAQs

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

It uses the language of dissolution on the individual level: the embodied person becomes “abhāva” (non-manifest/non-being) and reaches “vināśa” (destruction), pointing to the perishability of the body-personality rather than a cosmic pralaya.

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

By stressing bodily impermanence and the urgency of knowing what truly “makes the Self aware,” it supports the Matsya Purana’s ethical thrust: a king or householder should practice dharma and self-discipline with awareness of mortality, not merely pursue transient power, pleasure, or possessions.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or temple-ritual rule is stated; the verse is primarily ātmavidyā-oriented, serving as a reflective prompt often used to ground ritual life in inner knowledge rather than external form alone.