Shloka 13

Matsya Purana — Nārāyaṇa as Haṃsa in the Cosmic Ocean: Vedic Yajña-Puruṣa and Mārkaṇḍeya’s Vi...

Devanagari script

स्वपित्येकार्णवे चैव यदाश्चर्यमभूत्पुरा श्रूयतां तद्यथा विप्रा मार्कण्डेयकुतूहलम् //

Transliteration

svapityekārṇave caiva yadāścaryamabhūtpurā śrūyatāṃ tadyathā viprā mārkaṇḍeyakutūhalam //

Translation

And hear as well, O brahmins, what wondrous event once occurred in the single cosmic ocean (Ekārṇava) while (Nārāyaṇa) lay in yogic sleep—namely, the curious marvel experienced by Mārkaṇḍeya.

Word by Word

• svapiti: (while) sleeping, in yogic repose

• ekārṇave: in the one ocean, in the single cosmic flood

• ca eva: and indeed/also

• yad: which/what

• āścaryam: wonder, marvel

• abhūt: happened, came to be

• purā: formerly, in ancient times

• śrūyatām: let it be heard, please listen

• tad yathā: how that (occurred), in the manner of that

• viprāḥ: O brahmins, O sages

• mārkaṇḍeya: (of) Markandeya

• kutūhalam: curiosity, astonishment, the marvel that aroused wonder

Speaker

• Sūta (or the main Purāṇic narrator) addressing the assembled brāhmaṇas/sages

Entities Mentioned

• Ekarnava (single cosmic ocean)
• Markandeya

Tags

• Pralaya
• Great Flood
• Markandeya
• Cosmic Sleep
• Purana Narrative

FAQs

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

It introduces a pralaya setting: the universe reduced to the single cosmic ocean (Ekārṇava) while the supreme being rests in yogic sleep, framing the coming episode as a dissolution-era marvel.

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

Indirectly, it models the Purāṇic ethic of śravaṇa (attentive listening) to sacred history—an advised discipline for householders and rulers to gain discernment and steadiness amid impermanence.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

None explicitly in this verse; it is a narrative preface in the pralaya cycle rather than a Vāstu or ritual prescription.