Shloka 20

Matsya Purana — Inquiry into Taraka’s Slaying and the Prelude to Guha

Devanagari script

जन्म नानाप्रकाराणां ताभ्यो ऽन्ये देहिनः स्मृताः देवेन्द्रोपेन्द्रपूषाद्याः सर्वे ते दितिजा मताः //

Transliteration

janma nānāprakārāṇāṃ tābhyo 'nye dehinaḥ smṛtāḥ devendropendrapūṣādyāḥ sarve te ditijā matāḥ //

Translation

Births are of many kinds; from those origins other embodied beings are also remembered. Indra, Upendra, Pūṣan and the rest—all of them are regarded as born of Diti, the Ditijas.

Word by Word

• janma: births, origins

• nānā-prakārāṇām: of many kinds/varieties

• tābhyaḥ: from those (sources/causes)

• anye: others

• dehinaḥ: embodied beings

• smṛtāḥ: are remembered/recorded in tradition

• deva-indra: Indra, lord of the gods

• upendra: Upendra (Vishnu as the younger to Indra, often Vāmana)

• pūṣa-ādyāḥ: Pūṣan and others

• sarve: all

• te: they

• ditijāḥ: born of Diti (Ditijas, a class associated with Daityas)

• matāḥ: are considered/held to be.

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) recounting traditional genealogy within the Matsya Purana’s discourse

Entities Mentioned

• Indra
• Upendra
• Pūṣan
• Diti

Tags

• Genealogy
• Devas and Asuras
• Ditija
• Puranic cosmology
• Lineages

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it presents a cosmological-genealogical claim about varied births and the traditional origins of certain divine beings within Puranic lineages.

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

Indirectly, it supports the Matsya Purana’s broader worldview that social and royal dharma should be aligned with cosmic order (genealogies and divine hierarchies), even though this verse itself is purely genealogical.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vastu or ritual procedure is stated here; the verse is focused on lineage/origin classification rather than temple architecture or rites.