Shloka 58

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

Devanagari script

अहं वर्षमहं सोमः पर्जन्यो ऽहमहं रविः क्षीरोदसागरे चाहं समुद्रे वडवामुखः //

Transliteration

ahaṃ varṣamahaṃ somaḥ parjanyo 'hamahaṃ raviḥ kṣīrodasāgare cāhaṃ samudre vaḍavāmukhaḥ //

Translation

I am the rain; I am Soma. I am the rain-cloud, and I am the Sun. In the Ocean of Milk I am present, and within the sea I am the Mare-faced Fire (Vaḍavāmukha).

Word by Word

• aham: I

• varṣam: rain/rainfall

• somaḥ: Soma (the lunar deity/nectar)

• parjanyaḥ: Parjanya (rain-god, rain-bearing cloud)

• raviḥ: Ravi (the Sun)

• kṣīrodasāgare: in the Kṣīroda-sāgara, the Ocean of Milk

• ca: and

• aham: I

• samudre: in the ocean/sea

• vaḍavāmukhaḥ: Vaḍavāmukha (the submarine ‘mare-mouth’ fire, a cosmic consuming heat)

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu

Entities Mentioned

• Lord Matsya
• Vishnu
• Soma
• Parjanya
• Ravi
• Kṣīrodasāgara
• Vaḍavāmukha

Tags

• Pralaya
• Cosmic Form
• Vishnu Tattva
• Elements
• Oceanic Cosmology

FAQs

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

It presents the Lord as the power behind sustaining forces (rain, Soma, sun) and also the latent consuming force in the ocean (Vaḍavāmukha), implying that the same divinity governs nourishment and dissolution—key to Pralaya theology.

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

By identifying divinity with rain, sun, and Soma (life-supporting cycles), it implies that rulers and householders should honor and protect the ecological–ritual order—supporting rains through dharma, yajña, charity, and just governance that maintains prosperity.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, Soma, Parjanya, and Ravi point to Vedic offerings and seasonal rites aimed at harmony with cosmic forces; architecturally, the oceanic references (Kṣīrodasāgara, Vaḍavāmukha) reinforce Purāṇic cosmography used in temple symbolism and site-orientation themes, though no direct Vāstu rule is stated in this verse.