Shloka 103

Matsya Purana — Narasimha’s Victory over Hiraṇyakaśipu and the Catalogue of Apocalyptic Omens

Devanagari script

परं परस्यापि परं निधानं परं परस्यापि परं पवित्रम् परं परस्यापि परं च दान्तं त्वामाहुरग्र्यं पुरुषं पुराणम् //

Transliteration

paraṃ parasyāpi paraṃ nidhānaṃ paraṃ parasyāpi paraṃ pavitram paraṃ parasyāpi paraṃ ca dāntaṃ tvāmāhuragryaṃ puruṣaṃ purāṇam //

Translation

You are called the foremost, primeval Person—higher than even the highest: the supreme repository, the supreme purifier, and the supreme self-controlled One, transcending all that is transcendent.

Word by Word

• param: supreme, beyond

• parasya api: even of the higher/another (i.e., beyond what is beyond)

• param nidhānam: the highest treasure/storehouse, ultimate refuge

• param pavitram: the highest purity/purifier

• param ca dāntam: the supremely restrained, perfectly self-controlled

• tvām: you

• āhuḥ: they say/call

• agryam: foremost, preeminent

• puruṣam: the Person, cosmic being

• purāṇam: ancient, primeval, primordial

Speaker

• A devotee/narrator voice within the Purana (a stuti addressed to the Supreme Purusha—commonly understood as Vishnu/Narayana in Matsya Purana theology)

Entities Mentioned

• Purusha (Supreme Person)
• Purana (Primeval/Ancient One)

Tags

• Vishnu-Stuti
• Purusha
• Supreme Refuge
• Purity
• Dharma

FAQs

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

It frames the Supreme Person as the ultimate refuge and repository beyond all hierarchies—implying that during pralaya and after it, the final ground of security and continuity is the transcendent Purusha.

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

By praising the Supreme as “dānta” (perfectly self-controlled), it elevates self-restraint as a core dharmic virtue—an ideal for rulers and householders who must govern senses, speech, and conduct to uphold order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vastu or iconographic rule is stated; ritually, it functions as a stuti that supports purity (pavitra) and sanctification—principles underlying temple worship, consecration, and mantra-based purification.