Shloka 55

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

Devanagari script

अहं चैव सरिद्दिव्या क्षीरोदश्च महार्णवः यत्तत्सत्यं च परमम् अहमेकः प्रजापतिः //

Transliteration

ahaṃ caiva sariddivyā kṣīrodaśca mahārṇavaḥ yattatsatyaṃ ca paramam ahamekaḥ prajāpatiḥ //

Translation

I alone am that divine river; I am the Ocean of Milk and the great cosmic sea. Whatever is the Supreme and the Real—of that too I am the one source, the single Lord of progeny (Prajāpati).

Word by Word

• aham: I

• ca eva: indeed/also

• sarit-divyā: the divine river

• kṣīrodaḥ: the Ocean of Milk

• ca: and

• mahā-arṇavaḥ: the great ocean/cosmic sea

• yat tat: whatever that (principle)

• satyam: truth/the Real

• ca: and

• paramam: supreme/transcendent

• aham ekaḥ: I alone

• prajāpatiḥ: Prajāpati, lord/progenitor of beings

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) addressing Vaivasvata Manu (likely context)

Entities Mentioned

• Prajapati
• Kshiroda (Ocean of Milk)
• Maharṇava (Cosmic Ocean)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Supreme Reality
• Cosmogony
• Vishnu-Tattva
• Prajapati

FAQs

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

It presents the Supreme as identical with the great waters and cosmic supports (river, Milk Ocean, cosmic sea), implying that in pralaya and creation alike, all rests in the One source.

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

By asserting a single supreme ground of truth and order, it underwrites dharma: a king or householder should rule and live aligned with satya (truth) and the higher principle rather than mere personal gain.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or iconographic rule is stated; indirectly, it supports ritual cosmology where waters (rivers/oceans) symbolize the all-containing divine reality invoked in purification and consecration rites.