Shloka 26

Matsya Purana — Prologue to the Matsya Purana and the Manu–Pralaya Rescue Narrative

Devanagari script

अथवा वासुदेवस्त्वम् अन्य ईदृक्कथं भवेत् योजनायुतविंशत्या कस्य तुल्यं भवेद्वपुः //

Transliteration

athavā vāsudevastvam anya īdṛkkathaṃ bhavet yojanāyutaviṃśatyā kasya tulyaṃ bhavedvapuḥ //

Translation

Or else, you must be Vāsudeva Himself—for how could anyone else be like this? Whose body could ever be comparable, spanning twenty thousand yojanas?

Word by Word

• athavā: or else/otherwise

• vāsudevaḥ: Vāsudeva (Vishnu)

• tvam: you

• anyaḥ: another (someone else)

• īdṛk: of such a kind/like this

• katham: how

• bhavet: could be/should be

• yojana: yojana (measure of distance)

• ayuta: ten-thousand

• viṃśatyā: by twenty/with twenty

• yojanāyuta-viṃśatyā: with (a measure of) twenty thousand yojanas

• kasya: of whom/whose

• tulyaṃ: equal/comparable

• bhavet: could be

• vapuḥ: body/form

Speaker

• Vaivasvata Manu (addressing Lord Matsya / the divine being before him)

Entities Mentioned

• Vasudeva
• Vishnu
• Matsya

Tags

• Pralaya
• Matsya Avatara
• Theophany
• Cosmic Form
• Manu

FAQs

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

It signals a theophany within the Pralaya setting: Manu infers the being’s divinity from an immeasurable, cosmic-scale body, a hallmark of the Lord who governs dissolution and protection.

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

Manu’s discernment models a ruler’s duty to recognize true divine authority and act with humility—an ethical prerequisite for right governance and protection of beings during crisis.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vastu or ritual procedure is stated; the verse instead emphasizes iconographic theology—divinity identified by superhuman, cosmic proportions rather than ordinary form.