Shloka 20
Matsya Purana — Questions on Padmanabha’s Lotus-Creation in the Padma Mahakalpa; Prelude to N...
तत्कर्म विश्ववेदानां तद्रहस्यं महर्षीणाम् तमीशं सर्वयज्ञानां तत्तत्त्वं सर्वदर्शिनाम् तदध्यात्मविदां चिन्त्यं नरकं च विकर्मिणाम् //
tatkarma viśvavedānāṃ tadrahasyaṃ maharṣīṇām tamīśaṃ sarvayajñānāṃ tattattvaṃ sarvadarśinām tadadhyātmavidāṃ cintyaṃ narakaṃ ca vikarmiṇām //
He is the very act (karma) taught by all the Vedas; He is the secret doctrine of the great seers. He is the Lord presiding over every sacrifice; He is the ultimate reality known to all true visionaries. He is the object of contemplation for the knowers of the Self—and for those who commit forbidden deeds, He is (as the law of consequence) hell itself.
FAQs
It does not describe Pralaya directly; it teaches a metaphysical principle: the Supreme pervades Vedic knowledge, sacrifice, and karmic consequence—implying that cosmic events (including dissolution) are also governed by that same ultimate reality.
It frames duty as God-centered: a householder’s yajñas and a king’s righteous governance should align with Vedic karma (right action), avoid vikarma (forbidden acts), and cultivate adhyātma (inner discipline), since wrongdoing leads to suffering (naraka) by the moral law.
Ritually, it identifies the Lord as the presiding essence of all yajñas—supporting the Matsya Purana’s broader emphasis that correct procedure (karma) and inner intent (tattva) are inseparable in sacrificial worship, even when later applied to temple-ritual frameworks.