Shloka 22

Matsya Purana — Intermediate Dissolution

Devanagari script

*मनुरुवाच उत्पत्तिं प्रलयं चैव वंशान्मन्वन्तराणि च वंश्यानुचरितं चैव भुवनस्य च विस्तरम् //

Transliteration

*manuruvāca utpattiṃ pralayaṃ caiva vaṃśānmanvantarāṇi ca vaṃśyānucaritaṃ caiva bhuvanasya ca vistaram //

Translation

Manu said: “(Teach me) creation and dissolution, the dynasties and the Manvantaras, the accounts of those born in the lineages, and also the full expanse and arrangement of the worlds.”

Word by Word

• manuḥ uvāca: Manu said

• utpattim: creation/origin

• pralayam: dissolution/cosmic withdrawal

• ca eva: and indeed/also

• vaṃśān: dynasties/lineages

• manvantarāṇi: the cycles presided over by Manus (Manvantaras)

• ca: and

• vaṃśya-anucaritam: the successive deeds/accounts of descendants (dynastic chronicles)

• ca eva: and also

• bhuvanasya: of the worlds/cosmos

• ca: and

• vistaram: expansion, detailed extent, full description

Speaker

• Vaivasvata Manu

Entities Mentioned

• Vaivasvata Manu
• Manvantara
• Pralaya
• Vamsha (dynasties)
• Bhuvana (worlds)

Tags

• Creation
• Pralaya
• Manvantaras
• Dynasties
• Cosmology

FAQs

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

It frames the teaching agenda: Manu explicitly asks for an explanation of both cosmic origination (utpatti) and cosmic dissolution (pralaya), indicating the Purana’s concern with cyclical cosmology.

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

By requesting dynasties (vaṃśa) and the deeds of descendants (vaṃśyānucarita), Manu seeks precedent and moral-political guidance embedded in genealogies—models of governance, conduct, and responsibility transmitted through royal and ancestral narratives.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Direct architectural rules are not stated; however, “bhuvanasya vistara” signals a cosmographic mapping of worlds that later supports ritual orientation and sacred space planning (a foundation often used when deriving temple/mandala symbolism in Puranic traditions).