Shloka 19

Matsya Purana — Omens in Tripura and the Nārada–Maya Dialogue on Dharma

Devanagari script

उत्पथान्मार्गमागच्छेन् मार्गाच्चेव विमार्गताम् विनाशस्तस्य निर्देश्य इति वेदविदो विदुः //

Transliteration

utpathānmārgamāgacchen mārgācceva vimārgatām vināśastasya nirdeśya iti vedavido viduḥ //

Translation

One should come back to the true path from a wrong course; but if one abandons the right path and turns to a perverse way, the learned in the Veda declare that his ruin is certain and inevitable.

Word by Word

• utpathāt: from the wrong path, from a deviating course

• mārgaṃ: the (right) path

• āgacchet: should come/return

• mārgāt: from the (right) path

• ca eva: and indeed

• vimārga-tām: to the pathlessness/perverse path, deviation

• vināśaḥ: destruction, ruin

• tasya: of him/of that person

• nirdeśyaḥ: to be pointed out as (certain), to be stated definitively

• iti: thus

• veda-vidaḥ: knowers of the Veda

• viduḥ: know/affirm.

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) conveying the dharma-teaching of the Matsya Purana’s discourse tradition

Entities Mentioned

• Veda
• Veda-vid (knowers of the Veda)
• Marga (right path)
• Utpatha (wrong path)

Tags

• Dharma
• Right conduct
• Ethics
• Rajadharma
• Consequences of adharma

FAQs

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

This verse is not about cosmic pralaya; it uses “path” language to describe moral order—returning to dharma preserves one’s well-being, while deliberate deviation leads to collapse.

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

For both king and householder, it frames governance and daily life as “mārga” (dharma-guided conduct): mistakes can be corrected by returning to right practice, but knowingly abandoning dharma for harmful policies or habits is said to end in ruin.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vastu or ritual rule is stated; indirectly, it supports the Vastu-Shastra principle that correctness (mārga) matters—departures from prescribed measures and rites are treated as causes of failure and loss.