Shloka 9

Matsya Purana — How Śrāddha Offerings Reach the Ancestors

Devanagari script

दनुजत्वे तथा माया प्रेतत्वे रुधिरोदकम् मनुष्यत्वे ऽन्नपानानि नानाभोगरसं भवेत् //

Transliteration

danujatve tathā māyā pretatve rudhirodakam manuṣyatve 'nnapānāni nānābhogarasaṃ bhavet //

Translation

In the condition of being born among the Dānavas, one’s experience is dominated by māyā, delusive power; in the state of a preta (restless departed spirit), it becomes blood and water; but in human birth, it becomes food and drink, taking on the varied flavors of enjoyment.

Word by Word

• दनुजत्वे (danujatve): in the state of being a Danuja/Dānava

• तथा (tathā): likewise/indeed

• माया (māyā): illusion, delusive power

• प्रेतत्वे (pretatve): in the state of being a preta (departed spirit)

• रुधिरोदकम् (rudhirodakam): blood and water (rudhira + udaka)

• मनुष्यत्वे (manuṣyatve): in human-hood/as a human

• अन्नपानानि (annapānāni): foods and drinks

• नाना (nānā): various

• भोग-रसम् (bhoga-rasam): the taste/essence of enjoyment

• भवेत् (bhavet): becomes, comes to be.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu

Entities Mentioned

• Danuja (Danava)
• Preta
• Manushya (human)

Tags

• Karma
• Rebirth
• Preta
• Maya
• Bhoga

FAQs

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

Indirectly, it frames how consciousness and experience shift across births and states of being; rather than describing cosmic pralaya, it highlights a kind of “personal dissolution,” where the same urge for experience manifests differently as māyā (asura-birth), as rudhira-udaka (preta-state), and as food-and-drink (human life).

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

It implies that human birth uniquely channels desire into regulated, lawful enjoyment—food, drink, and socially ordered pleasures—so a householder (and a king governing householders) should discipline bhoga through dharma, preventing descent into delusion (māyā) and restless craving associated with lower states.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or temple-building rule appears in this verse; its ritual takeaway is ethical and funerary-adjacent: the preta-condition is marked by distressing, impure substitutes (blood/water), underscoring the importance of proper rites and disciplined living so one does not fall into an afflicted post-mortem state.