Shloka 11

Matsya Purana — Paurava Genealogy

Devanagari script

ततः सरसि तस्मिंस्तु क्रममाणं महीपतिः दृष्ट्वा जग्राह कृपया शंतनुर्मृगयां गतः //

Transliteration

tataḥ sarasi tasmiṃstu kramamāṇaṃ mahīpatiḥ dṛṣṭvā jagrāha kṛpayā śaṃtanurmṛgayāṃ gataḥ //

Translation

Then, at that very lake, King Śaṃtanu—who had gone out on a hunt—saw a being moving about there; and, stirred by compassion, he took it up.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereupon

• sarasi: in/at the lake

• tasmiṃs tu: in that (very place), indeed

• kramamāṇam: moving step by step/wandering about

• mahīpatiḥ: the king/lord of the earth

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen

• jagrāha: seized/took up

• kṛpayā: out of compassion

• śaṃtanuḥ: King Śaṃtanu

• mṛgayām gataḥ: having gone for hunting/being on a hunt

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the royal episode

Entities Mentioned

• Śaṃtanu
• Saras (lake)

Tags

• Dynasties
• Royal narrative
• Compassion
• Hunting episode
• Vamsha

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya or cosmogony; it belongs to a dynastic/royal narrative, highlighting a king’s compassionate action during a hunt.

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

It foregrounds kṛpā (compassion) as a royal virtue: even while engaged in mṛgayā (hunting), the king responds with mercy toward a vulnerable being—an ethical cue often used in Purāṇic kingship narratives.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu, temple-building, iconographic, or ritual procedure is mentioned in this verse; the setting (a lake) functions only as the narrative location for the encounter.