Shloka 2
Matsya Purana — Dialogue of Aṣṭaka and Yayāti: Exhaustion of Merit
*ययातिरुवाच ज्ञातिः सुहृत्स्वजनो यो यथेह क्षीणे वित्ते त्यज्यते मानवैर्हि तथा स्वर्गे क्षीणपुण्यं मनुष्यं त्यजन्ति सद्यः खेचरा देवसंघाः //
*yayātiruvāca jñātiḥ suhṛtsvajano yo yatheha kṣīṇe vitte tyajyate mānavairhi tathā svarge kṣīṇapuṇyaṃ manuṣyaṃ tyajanti sadyaḥ khecarā devasaṃghāḥ //
Yayāti said: “Just as here in this world, when a man’s wealth is exhausted, his relatives, friends, and even his own people abandon him—so too in heaven, when a man’s merit is spent, the airborne hosts of gods at once forsake him.”
FAQs
This verse does not describe Pralaya; it teaches that even heavenly enjoyment is temporary and ends when merit (puṇya) is exhausted.
It warns rulers and householders not to rely on wealth, status, or social circles for lasting security; instead, one should pursue dharma and lasting spiritual aims rather than transient support.
No Vāstu, temple-building, or ritual procedure is stated directly; the takeaway is ethical—ritual merit yields results, but those results remain finite unless oriented toward liberation.