Shloka 99

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

Devanagari script

परां च सिद्धिं च परं च देवं परं च मन्त्रं परमं हविश्च परं च धर्मं परमं च विश्वं त्वामाहुरग्र्यं पुरुषं पुराणम् //

Transliteration

parāṃ ca siddhiṃ ca paraṃ ca devaṃ paraṃ ca mantraṃ paramaṃ haviśca paraṃ ca dharmaṃ paramaṃ ca viśvaṃ tvāmāhuragryaṃ puruṣaṃ purāṇam //

Translation

You are proclaimed to be the supreme attainment and the highest perfection; the highest God; the highest mantra and the foremost sacrificial offering; the highest Dharma and the very supreme universe. They declare you to be the foremost, primeval Person (Puruṣa), the Ancient One.

Word by Word

• पराम् (parām): supreme, highest

• सिद्धिम् (siddhim): accomplishment, perfection, spiritual attainment

• देवम् (devam): God, divine Lord

• मन्त्रम् (mantram): sacred mantra, revelatory formula

• हविः (haviḥ): oblation, sacrificial offering

• धर्मम् (dharmam): dharma, sacred law, righteous order

• विश्वम् (viśvam): the universe, all that exists

• त्वाम् (tvām): you

• आहुः (āhuḥ): they say, they proclaim

• अग्र्यम् (agryam): foremost, best, preeminent

• पुरुषम् (puruṣam): the Cosmic Person, Supreme Being

• पुराणम् (purāṇam): ancient, primeval, eternal (also: the Ancient One).

Speaker

• Vaivasvata Manu (in praise, addressing Lord Matsya/Vishnu as the Supreme Puruṣa)

Entities Mentioned

• Puruṣa (Supreme Person)
• Deva (Supreme God)
• Mantra
• Havi (sacrificial oblation)
• Dharma
• Viśva (Universe)

Tags

• Stuti
• Vishnu-Tattva
• Dharma
• Mantra
• Yajna

FAQs

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

It presents the Supreme Puruṣa as both transcendent and immanent—identified with the universe itself (viśva). This supports the Purāṇic view that the same Lord is the ground of creation and the refuge during pralaya, even though the flood is not named in this specific verse.

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

By equating the Lord with dharma, mantra, and sacrificial offering (havi), the verse frames righteous governance and household ritual as acts rooted in devotion: the king protects dharma as service to the Supreme, and the householder’s yajña and mantra-practice become worship of the same highest reality.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it is explicit: mantra and havi (oblation) are declared ‘supreme’ in the Lord, implying that correct recitation and offering are not merely procedures but direct modes of approaching the Supreme—useful for Matsya Purana ritual guidance, even though no specific Vāstu/temple rule is stated here.