Shloka 38

Matsya Purana — Procedure for Going to Prayaga and the Greatness of the Ganga

Devanagari script

मध्ये नारीसहस्राणां बहूनां च पतिर्भवेत् दशग्रामसहस्राणां भोक्ता भवति भूमिपः //

Transliteration

madhye nārīsahasrāṇāṃ bahūnāṃ ca patirbhavet daśagrāmasahasrāṇāṃ bhoktā bhavati bhūmipaḥ //

Translation

Amid many thousands of women, he becomes their lord and husband; and the king (bhūmipa) becomes the enjoyer and ruler of tens of thousands of villages.

Word by Word

• मध्ये (madhye): in the midst/among

• नारीसहस्राणाम् (nārīsahasrāṇām): of thousands of women

• बहूनाम् (bahūnām): of many

• च (ca): and

• पतिः (patiḥ): lord/husband/master

• भवेत् (bhavet): becomes

• दश (daśa): ten

• ग्राम (grāma): villages

• सहस्राणाम् (sahasrāṇām): of thousands

• भोक्ता (bhoktā): enjoyer/possessor/one who partakes (ruler who enjoys revenues)

• भवति (bhavati): becomes/is

• भूमिपः (bhūmipaḥ): king, lord of the earth

Speaker

• Suta (narrating the Matsya Purana’s teaching on kingship; framed within the Matsya–Manu discourse tradition)

Entities Mentioned

• Bhūmipa (King)
• Grāma (Village)

Tags

• Rajadharma
• Kingship
• Royal prosperity
• Sovereignty
• Fruits of rule

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya or cosmology; it focuses on worldly royal prosperity—status, enjoyment, and dominion over villages.

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

It presents the worldly “fruit” of kingship: authority, enjoyment, and control over extensive territory. In Rajadharma framing, such enjoyments are typically understood as outcomes of power and merit, ideally to be balanced by just rule and protection of subjects.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vastu, temple-building, or ritual procedure appears here; the only administrative cue is the scale of governance—rule over ‘tens of thousands of villages,’ relevant to statecraft rather than architecture.