Shloka 49

Matsya Purana — Dynastic Genealogies: Paurava–Anu Lines

Devanagari script

*वृषभ उवाच नास्माकं विद्यते तात पातकं स्तेयमेव च भक्ष्याभक्ष्यं तथा चैव पेयापेयं तथैव च //

Transliteration

*vṛṣabha uvāca nāsmākaṃ vidyate tāta pātakaṃ steyameva ca bhakṣyābhakṣyaṃ tathā caiva peyāpeyaṃ tathaiva ca //

Translation

Vṛṣabha said: “Dear one, for us there exists neither sin nor theft; likewise there is no distinction of what should or should not be eaten, and similarly no distinction of what should or should not be drunk.”

Word by Word

• वृषभ उवाच: Vṛṣabha said

• न: not

• अस्माकं: for us/among us

• विद्यते: exists/is found

• तात: dear one/child

• पातकम्: sin, moral fault

• स्तेयम्: theft/stealing

• एव: indeed/only

• च: and

• भक्ष्य-अभक्ष्यम्: edible and inedible (what is permitted vs forbidden to eat)

• तथा: likewise

• च एव: and indeed

• पेय-अपेयम्: drinkable and not drinkable (permitted vs forbidden to drink)

• तथैव: just so/likewise

• च: and.

Speaker

• Vṛṣabha

Entities Mentioned

• Vṛṣabha

Tags

• Dharma
• Ethics
• Food rules
• Conduct
• Matsya Purana dialogue

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya directly; it focuses on a speaker’s claim that conventional moral categories (sin, theft, permitted/forbidden consumption) do not apply to “us,” indicating a special state, community, or claim of exception rather than cosmology.

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

By negating pātaka (sin), steya (theft), and dietary boundaries, the verse highlights what a king or householder must not assume: that one can live beyond dharma. In the Matsya Purana’s ethical frame, rulers and householders are generally expected to uphold non-stealing and regulated consumption; this line functions as a contrasting claim that invites scrutiny and reaffirmation of normative conduct.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu, temple architecture, or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; its technical vocabulary is ethical (pātaka, steya, bhakṣyābhakṣya, peyāpeya), not architectural.