Shloka 32

Matsya Purana — Skanda’s Consecration

Devanagari script

स्वकान्तावक्त्रपद्मानां म्लानतां च व्यलोकयत् दुष्टांश्च प्राणिनो रौद्रान् सो ऽपश्यद्दुष्टवेदिनः //

Transliteration

svakāntāvaktrapadmānāṃ mlānatāṃ ca vyalokayat duṣṭāṃśca prāṇino raudrān so 'paśyadduṣṭavedinaḥ //

Translation

He observed the fading of the lotus-like faces of his beloved (women), and he also saw living beings who had become wicked and fierce—men of corrupted understanding who took delight in wrongdoing.

Word by Word

• sva-kāntā: his own beloved (women)

• vaktra: face

• padma: lotus

• vaktra-padmānām: of the lotus-like faces

• mlānatām: withering, fading, loss of bloom

• ca: and

• vyalokayat: he looked upon, observed

• duṣṭān: wicked, depraved

• ca: and

• prāṇinaḥ: living beings, creatures (here: people)

• raudrān: fierce, cruel, violent

• saḥ: he

• apaśyat: saw

• duṣṭa-vedinaḥ: those whose discernment/understanding is perverted, knowers/doers of evil

Speaker

• Narrator (Purāṇic narration within the Matsya Purana’s discourse; likely framed by Sūta to the sages)

Tags

• Dharma
• Social decay
• Kali-yuga traits
• Human conduct
• Ethical decline

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe cosmic pralaya directly; it depicts a moral and emotional “withering” in society—an ethical decline where people become cruel and wicked.

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

It signals a time when rulers and householders must protect dependents, restrain violence, and uphold dharma—because social cruelty and corrupted judgment cause suffering even within the home.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; its focus is ethical and psychological—recognizing societal degeneration and its visible effects on human well-being.