Shloka 12
Matsya Purana — Manvantaras
क्रमेणैतेन विज्ञेये ह्रासवृद्धी युगे युगे षट्सप्तत्यङ्गुलोत्सेधः पशुर् आककुदो भवेत् //
krameṇaitena vijñeye hrāsavṛddhī yuge yuge ṣaṭsaptatyaṅgulotsedhaḥ paśur ākakudo bhavet //
By this very sequence, decreases and increases are to be understood from yuga to yuga. A beast whose height is seventy-six aṅgulas is called “ākakuda,” that is, one with a pronounced hump or withers.
FAQs
This verse does not discuss Pralaya directly; it gives a technical rule for understanding proportional increase/decrease across the yugas and specifies a standard height (in aṅgulas) used in iconographic or descriptive classification.
Indirectly, it supports dharmic duties by standardizing measurements used in public works—such as commissioning temple images and ritual objects—activities often overseen by kings and patrons (householders) according to Purāṇic guidelines.
It uses the aṅgula-based measuring system central to Vāstu/Śilpa practice and provides a classification point (76 aṅgulas) for an animal form termed ākakuda—useful when designing or sculpting figures in temple and ritual contexts.