Shloka 16

Matsya Purana — Origin of Soma

Devanagari script

ततः पद्मसहस्राणां सहस्राणि दशैव तु तपश्चचार शीतांशुर् विष्णुध्यानैकतत्परः //

Transliteration

tataḥ padmasahasrāṇāṃ sahasrāṇi daśaiva tu tapaścacāra śītāṃśur viṣṇudhyānaikatatparaḥ //

Translation

Thereafter, Śītāṃśu performed austerities for ten thousand thousands of lotus-counted years, wholly devoted to nothing but meditation upon Viṣṇu.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter

• padma-sahasrāṇām: of lotus-thousands (a conventional count of immense time/years)

• sahasrāṇi: thousands

• daśa eva tu: ten indeed (i.e., ten-thousands of thousands)

• tapaḥ cacāra: practiced austerity

• śītāṃśuḥ: Śītāṃśu (lit. ‘cool-rayed one’, commonly an epithet of the Moon)

• viṣṇu-dhyāna-eka: exclusively in meditation on Viṣṇu

• tat-paraḥ: wholly intent upon that

Speaker

• Paurāṇic narrator (Sūta/reciter voice within the Matsya Purana’s continuous narration)

Entities Mentioned

• Viṣṇu
• Śītāṃśu (Moon)

Tags

• Tapas
• Viṣṇu-bhakti
• Dhyāna
• Puranic cosmology
• Austerity and merit

FAQs

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

Directly, it does not describe pralaya; it highlights the Purāṇic ideal that immense cosmic time spans are devoted to tapas and Viṣṇu-dhyāna, implying that spiritual merit and divine meditation operate across vast aeons that frame creation and dissolution cycles.

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

It models ekāgratā (single-pointed devotion) and disciplined practice: for kings and householders in the Matsya Purana’s ethical spirit, this translates into steady observance of dharma—daily worship, vows, self-restraint, and sustained commitment rather than sporadic piety.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or iconographic rule is stated; the ritual takeaway is the primacy of Viṣṇu-dhyāna and tapas as core sādhana—an inner ‘ritual’ that complements external rites and temple worship.