Shloka 14

Matsya Purana — Hiranyakashipu’s Boons

Devanagari script

भवेयमहमेवार्कः सोमो वायुर्हुताशनः सलिलं चान्तरिक्षं च नक्षत्राणि दिशो दश //

Transliteration

bhaveyamahamevārkaḥ somo vāyurhutāśanaḥ salilaṃ cāntarikṣaṃ ca nakṣatrāṇi diśo daśa //

Translation

“May I alone become the Sun, the Moon, the Wind, and the Fire; the Waters and the Mid-space (atmosphere), the stars, and the ten directions.”

Word by Word

• bhaveyam: may I become

• aham eva: I alone / I indeed

• arkaḥ: the Sun

• somaḥ: the Moon

• vāyuḥ: the Wind

• hutāśanaḥ: Fire (the oblation-eater, Agni)

• salilam: water(s)

• ca: and

• antarikṣam: the mid-space/atmosphere

• nakṣatrāṇi: the stars/constellations

• diśaḥ: directions

• daśa: ten

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Viṣṇu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu (contextual attribution within the Manu–Matsya dialogue stream)

Entities Mentioned

• Arka (Sun)
• Soma (Moon)
• Vayu (Wind)
• Agni (Hutashana)
• Antariksha
• Nakshatras
• Dasha Dishas (Ten Directions)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Cosmology
• Vishvarupa
• Elements
• Creation

FAQs

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

It presents a re-manifestation idea: the supreme principle (spoken by Matsya) is capable of becoming the cosmic functions—luminaries, elements, space, stars, and directions—implying that after Pralaya the universe can be re-expressed from a single divine source.

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

By portraying the cosmos as an ordered system (sun, moon, winds, fire, directions), it implicitly supports dharma as alignment with cosmic order—kings uphold order in the realm, and householders maintain ritual and ethical regularity mirroring that larger harmony.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The explicit mention of the “ten directions” is foundational for ritual orientation and Vastu planning (dik-nirṇaya): altars, temples, and dwellings are laid out with directional awareness, and offerings to Agni and celestial powers are performed with prescribed spatial orientation.