Shloka 38

Matsya Purana — Genealogy of Kaśyapa: Ādityas

Devanagari script

सहस्रशिरसां कद्रूः सहस्रं चापि सुव्रत प्रधानास्तेषु विख्याताः षड्विंशतिर् अरिंदम //

Transliteration

sahasraśirasāṃ kadrūḥ sahasraṃ cāpi suvrata pradhānāsteṣu vikhyātāḥ ṣaḍviṃśatir ariṃdama //

Translation

Kadrū, O noble one, gave birth to a thousand serpent-lords of a thousand heads; among them, O subduer of foes, twenty-six are famed as the principal ones.

Word by Word

• सहस्र-शिरसाम्: of thousand-headed (serpents)

• कद्रूः: Kadrū (mother of the Nāgas)

• सहस्रम्: a thousand

• च अपि: and also/indeed

• सुव्रत: O virtuous one (address)

• प्रधानाः: principal, foremost

• तेषु: among them

• विख्याताः: renowned, well-known

• षड्विंशतिः: twenty-six

• अरिंदम: O subduer of enemies (address)

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) recounting Matsya Purana’s genealogical account

Entities Mentioned

• Kadrū
• Nāgas (serpent race)

Tags

• Genealogy
• Nāgas
• Creation accounts
• Puranic lineages
• Mythic zoology

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it contributes to the creation-era genealogical mapping by enumerating Kadrū’s Nāga progeny and identifying the principal serpent-lords.

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

Indirectly, it supports the Purāṇic model of righteous governance and social memory: kings and householders are urged to preserve lineage-knowledge (vaṃśa) and sacred history, which the Matsya Purana treats as part of dharma and cultural continuity.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu or ritual rule appears in this verse; its focus is genealogical—identifying the principal Nāgas within a larger cosmological catalogue.