Shloka 7

Matsya Purana — Measures of Time: Caturyuga Computation

Devanagari script

त्रिंशद्ये मानुषा मासाः पित्र्यो मासः स उच्यते शतानि त्रीणि मासानां षष्ट्या चाभ्यधिकानि तु पित्र्यः संवत्सरो ह्येष मानुषेण विभाव्यते //

Transliteration

triṃśadye mānuṣā māsāḥ pitryo māsaḥ sa ucyate śatāni trīṇi māsānāṃ ṣaṣṭyā cābhyadhikāni tu pitryaḥ saṃvatsaro hyeṣa mānuṣeṇa vibhāvyate //

Translation

Thirty human months are said to make one month of the Pitṛs. And three hundred and sixty human months—by human reckoning—are indeed regarded as one year of the Pitṛs.

Word by Word

• triṃśat: thirty

• ye: which/that

• mānuṣāḥ māsāḥ: human months

• pitryaḥ māsaḥ: a month of the Pitṛs (ancestors)

• saḥ ucyate: is said/called

• śatāni trīṇi: three hundred

• māsānām: of months

• ṣaṣṭyā: by sixty

• ca: and

• abhyadhikāni: increased/exceeding (i.e., plus)

• tu: indeed

• pitryaḥ saṃvatsaraḥ: a year of the Pitṛs

• hi: surely/indeed

• eṣaḥ: this

• mānuṣeṇa: by humans/by human measure

• vibhāvyate: is considered/understood.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, within the time-and-ritual teaching context)

Entities Mentioned

• Pitṛs (Ancestors)
• Mānuṣa (Human time-reckoning)

Tags

• Śrāddha
• Pitṛ-loka
• Time
• Ritual Calendar
• Dharma

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya directly; it teaches a cosmological time-conversion showing that time flows differently for the Pitṛs than for humans.

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

By defining Pitṛ-time, it supports correct timing and understanding of ancestral rites (Śrāddha). A householder—and a king as guardian of dharma—should ensure such rites follow proper calendrical principles.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Its significance is ritual rather than architectural: it provides the doctrinal basis for calculating Pitṛ-related observances by distinguishing human time from Pitṛ-loka time.