Shloka 59

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

Devanagari script

वह्निः संवर्तको भूत्वा पिबंस्तोयमयं हविः अहं पुराणः परमं तथैवाहं परायणम् //

Transliteration

vahniḥ saṃvartako bhūtvā pibaṃstoyamayaṃ haviḥ ahaṃ purāṇaḥ paramaṃ tathaivāhaṃ parāyaṇam //

Translation

Becoming the Saṃvarta fire (the conflagration of dissolution), I drink in the watery oblation; I am the Primordial One, the Supreme—indeed, I alone am the final refuge.

Word by Word

• वह्निः (vahniḥ): fire

• संवर्तकः (saṃvartakaḥ): the dissolving/Pralaya-causing (fire)

• भूत्वा (bhūtvā): having become

• पिबन् (piban): drinking, absorbing

• तोयमयम् (toyamayam): consisting of water, watery

• हविः (haviḥ): oblation, sacrificial offering

• अहम् (aham): I

• पुराणः (purāṇaḥ): the Ancient/Primordial One

• परमम् (paramam): the Supreme, highest

• तथा एव (tathā eva): just so, indeed

• अहम् (aham): I

• परायणम् (parāyaṇam): ultimate resort, final refuge/goal.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu on Pralaya and supreme refuge

Entities Mentioned

• Vahni (Fire)
• Saṃvarta (Pralaya fire)
• Havis (oblation)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Saṃvarta
• Vishnu-Tattva
• Cosmic Dissolution
• Supreme Refuge

FAQs

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

It states that at Pralaya the Lord manifests as the Saṃvarta fire, absorbing even the waters—portraying dissolution as a divine re-absorption of the cosmos back into the Supreme.

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

By declaring the Lord as the final refuge (parāyaṇa), it frames dharma—royal governance or household life—as ultimately oriented toward surrender, right conduct, and seeking the Supreme beyond temporary worldly order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it uses yajña imagery—“watery oblation (havis)”—to explain Pralaya as a cosmic sacrifice where all elements are offered back to the divine; it does not give direct Vastu or temple-building rules in this verse.