Shloka 3

Matsya Purana — Lineage of the Pitṛs

Devanagari script

मूर्तिमन्तो ऽथ चत्वारः सर्वेषाममितौजसः अमूर्तयः पितृगणा वैराजस्य प्रजापतेः //

Transliteration

mūrtimanto 'tha catvāraḥ sarveṣāmamitaujasaḥ amūrtayaḥ pitṛgaṇā vairājasya prajāpateḥ //

Translation

Then there were four embodied (manifest) ones, all of immeasurable splendor; and there were also the formless hosts of the Pitṛs, belonging to Vairāja, the Prajāpati (lord of progeny).

Word by Word

• mūrtimantaḥ: embodied/with form

• atha: then/now

• catvāraḥ: four

• sarveṣām: of all/among all

• amita-aujasaḥ: of immeasurable radiance/power

• amūrtayaḥ: formless/without embodied form

• pitṛ-gaṇāḥ: hosts/classes of Pitṛs (ancestral fathers)

• vairājasya: of Vairāja (born of Virāja / the cosmic Virāj)

• prajāpateḥ: of Prajāpati, the progenitor

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating the Matsya Purana’s account of creation/progeny, in the broader Matsya–Manu dialogue frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Pitṛgaṇa (Pitṛs)
• Vairāja Prajāpati (Virāja-related progenitor)

Tags

• Creation
• Pitrs
• Genealogy
• Cosmology
• Prajapati

FAQs

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

It describes a creation-side classification: Pitṛ hosts associated with Vairāja Prajāpati, including both embodied and formless categories—pointing to how beings are differentiated by form during cosmic manifestation rather than describing dissolution.

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

By highlighting the Pitṛs (ancestral fathers), it implicitly supports the householder’s and king’s duty to uphold lineage rites—especially śrāddha and offerings to Pitṛs—since Pitṛ-gaṇas are treated as real cosmological recipients within the Purāṇic order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it foregrounds Pitṛ worship: the verse underpins the legitimacy of Pitṛ-oriented rites (e.g., śrāddha/ancestral offerings). It does not state a Vāstu or temple-building rule directly, but it supports the ritual framework often performed in dedicated domestic/ritual spaces.