Shloka 15

Matsya Purana — Genealogy and Classification of Sacred Fires

Devanagari script

तासु षोडशधात्मानं प्रविभज्य पृथक्पृथक् तदा तु विहरंस्तासु धिष्ण्येच्छः स बभूव ह //

Transliteration

tāsu ṣoḍaśadhātmānaṃ pravibhajya pṛthakpṛthak tadā tu viharaṃstāsu dhiṣṇyecchaḥ sa babhūva ha //

Translation

Having divided his own presence into sixteen parts, each distinct, he then moved about within them; and at that time he became intent upon the various residential seats—dhiṣṇyas.

Word by Word

• tāsu: in those (quarters/abodes)

• ṣoḍaśadhā: in sixteen ways / into sixteen parts

• ātmānam: himself / his own being

• pravibhajya: having apportioned, having divided

• pṛthak-pṛthak: separately, one by one, distinctly

• tadā: then, at that time

• tu: indeed

• viharan: moving about, sporting, dwelling

• tāsu: in those (places)

• dhiṣṇya-icchaḥ: desiring/intent upon the dhiṣṇyas (residential seats, stations)

• saḥ: he

• babhūva: became

• ha: indeed (emphatic particle).

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) reporting the Vastu-vidya account (contextual voice within Matsya Purana)

Entities Mentioned

• Dhiṣṇya (residential seat/station)

Tags

• Matsya Purana Vastu Shastra tips
• Vastuvidya
• Spatial division
• Sacred dwelling
• Temple-town planning

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it describes ordered spatial division—an architectural/cosmological principle of distributing presence into sixteen parts and dwelling within designated seats (dhiṣṇyas).

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

It supports the duty of orderly establishment of residences and precincts: a king plans settlements and administrative quarters, while a householder maintains properly designated spaces for living and ritual—each ‘seat’ serving a defined function.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The key idea is ṣoḍaśadhā-vibhāga (sixteenfold division) connected with dhiṣṇyas—designated stations/quarters—pointing to systematic zoning and allocation of dwelling/ritual spaces in Vastu-based planning.