Shloka 5

Matsya Purana — Questions on Padmanabha’s Lotus-Creation in the Padma Mahakalpa; Prelude to N...

Devanagari script

प्रभावात्पद्मनाभस्य स्वपतः सागराम्भसि पुष्करे च कथं भूता देवाः सर्षिगणाः पुरा //

Transliteration

prabhāvātpadmanābhasya svapataḥ sāgarāmbhasi puṣkare ca kathaṃ bhūtā devāḥ sarṣigaṇāḥ purā //

Translation

By the power of Padmanābha while He lay in yogic sleep upon the ocean-waters—how, in ancient times, did the gods together with the hosts of ṛṣis come to be (manifest), and how did they arise upon the lotus?

Word by Word

• prabhāvāt: by the power/effect

• padmanābhasya: of Padmanābha (Viṣṇu, ‘lotus-naveled’)

• svapataḥ: while sleeping (in yogic sleep)

• sāgara-ambhasi: in the waters of the ocean

• puṣkare: on/in the lotus

• ca: and

• katham: how?

• bhūtāḥ: became/manifested

• devāḥ: the gods

• sa-ṛṣi-gaṇāḥ: together with the groups/hosts of sages

• purā: formerly/in ancient times

Speaker

• Vaivasvata Manu (inquiring of Lord Matsya/Viṣṇu in the flood-dialogue frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Padmanabha (Vishnu)
• Devas
• Rishis (Rishi-gana)
• Cosmic Ocean (Sagara)
• Lotus (Pushkara)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Cosmogony
• Vishnu
• Padmanabha
• Srishti

FAQs

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

It frames creation as emerging from Padmanābha’s divine potency during yoga-nidrā on the cosmic ocean, with devas and ṛṣis manifesting in that primordial phase associated with the lotus.

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

Indirectly, it grounds dharma in cosmic order: kings and householders preserve stability (dharma) in society just as divine order re-emerges after pralaya—implying governance and conduct should align with the sustaining power of Viṣṇu.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The lotus (puṣkara) motif is a key ritual-iconographic symbol in temple design and worship—used in maṇḍalas, altar layouts, and Viṣṇu iconography—though this verse itself is primarily cosmological rather than technical Vāstu instruction.