Shloka 22

Matsya Purana — Ritual Bathing

Devanagari script

यमाय धर्मराजाय मृत्यवे चान्तकाय च वैवस्वताय कालाय सर्वभृतक्षयाय च //

Transliteration

yamāya dharmarājāya mṛtyave cāntakāya ca vaivasvatāya kālāya sarvabhṛtakṣayāya ca //

Translation

Salutation to Yama—the King of Dharma; to Mṛtyu (Death) and Antaka (the Ender); to Vaivasvata; to Kāla (Time); and to him who brings the dissolution of all living beings.

Word by Word

• यमाय (yamāya): to Yama

• धर्मराजाय (dharmarājāya): to the King of Dharma / Judge of righteousness

• मृत्यवे (mṛtyave): to Death

• च (ca): and

• अन्तकाय (antakāya): to the Terminator / the End-bringer

• वैवस्वताय (vaivasvatāya): to Vaivasvata (son of Vivasvān

• कालाय (kālāya): to Time

• सर्वभृतक्षयाय (sarvabhṛtakṣayāya): to the destroyer/consumer of all creatures (all that live and are sustained)

• च (ca): and

Speaker

• Narratorial/ritual voice within the Matsya Purana (a mantra-like salutation rather than direct dialogue)

Entities Mentioned

• Yama
• Dharmaraja
• Mrityu
• Antaka
• Vaivasvata
• Kala

Tags

• Yama
• Death
• Kala
• Dharma
• Stotra

FAQs

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

It frames dissolution as an inevitable function of Kāla (Time) and Death—Yama is praised through names that emphasize the universal ending of embodied life, a key Purāṇic lens for understanding decline and dissolution.

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

By invoking Yama as Dharmarāja, it implies moral accountability: kings and householders are subject to dharma and its consequences, encouraging righteous conduct, lawful governance, and ethical living under the certainty of time and death.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The verse functions as a stotra-style salutation suitable for ritual recitation (namaskāra), emphasizing protective remembrance of Yama/Kāla; it does not give Vāstu or temple-construction rules directly but fits a broader ritual-dharma setting.