Shloka 87

Matsya Purana — Hiranyakashipu’s Boons

Devanagari script

न श्रुतं नैव दृष्टं हि हिरण्यकशिपोर्यथा ऐश्वर्यं दैत्यसिंहस्य यथा तस्य महात्मनः //

Transliteration

na śrutaṃ naiva dṛṣṭaṃ hi hiraṇyakaśiporyathā aiśvaryaṃ daityasiṃhasya yathā tasya mahātmanaḥ //

Translation

Truly, neither has it been heard nor has it been seen—such was the sovereignty of Hiraṇyakaśipu: the lordly power of that “lion among the Daityas,” that great-souled one.

Word by Word

• na: not

• śrutam: heard (in tradition)

• na eva: nor indeed

• dṛṣṭam: seen

• hi: truly/indeed

• hiraṇyakaśipoḥ: of Hiraṇyakaśipu

• yathā: as/like

• aiśvaryam: sovereignty, lordship, supreme power

• daitya-siṃhasya: of the lion among the Daityas (best of demons)

• yathā: as/just as

• tasya: of him

• mahātmanaḥ: of the great-souled (mighty, high-spirited) one

Speaker

• Suta (Puranic narrator) describing Hiranyakashipu’s unparalleled dominion (contextual attribution)

Entities Mentioned

• Hiraṇyakaśipu
• Daityas

Tags

• Daityas
• Asura-Kings
• Aishvarya
• Puranic-Genealogy
• Power-and-Pride

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya directly; it highlights extraordinary worldly sovereignty (aiśvarya) as a narrative backdrop for later moral and cosmic rebalancing themes common in Purāṇas.

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

By portraying unmatched dominion as something “unheard and unseen,” the verse implicitly warns that power and prosperity can become objects of pride; in Matsya Purana’s ethical frame, rulership should be restrained by dharma rather than mere conquest or grandeur.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No vastu, temple-building, or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; its focus is political-mythic—describing the scale of an Asura king’s sovereignty.