Shloka 48

Matsya Purana — Solar Dynasty Prelude: Vivasvān–Saṃjñā–Chāyā

Devanagari script

पुरुषत्वं हृतं सर्वं स्त्रीरूपे विस्मितो नृपः इलेति साभवन्नारी पीनोन्नतघनस्तनी //

Transliteration

puruṣatvaṃ hṛtaṃ sarvaṃ strīrūpe vismito nṛpaḥ ileti sābhavannārī pīnonnataghanastanī //

Translation

All his manhood was taken away; the king stood astonished in a woman’s form. She became a woman named Ilā, with full, high, and well-rounded breasts.

Word by Word

• पुरुषत्वं (puruṣatvam): manhood, male state

• हृतं (hṛtam): taken away, removed

• सर्वं (sarvam): entirely, completely

• स्त्रीरूपे (strī-rūpe): in a female form

• विस्मितः (vismitaḥ): astonished, bewildered

• नृपः (nṛpaḥ): the king

• इला इति (ilā iti): 'Ilā'—thus named

• सा (sā): she

• अभवत् (abhavat): became

• नारी (nārī): woman

• पीन (pīna): full, plump

• उन्नत (unnata): elevated, high

• घन (ghana): firm, compact

• स्तनी (stanī): having breasts

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) / Purāṇic narrator describing the event (within the Matsya Purāṇa’s dialogue framework)

Entities Mentioned

• Ilā
• Nṛpa (the king)

Tags

• Ila-Upakhyana
• Transformation
• Royal narrative
• Puranic mythology
• Gender change motif

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya; it narrates a miraculous bodily transformation within a mythic royal episode, emphasizing divine/ritual causality rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

Indirectly, it underscores that a ruler’s identity and power remain subject to higher dharma and divine ordinance; kingship is not mere bodily status but must align with moral and ritual order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple-building rule appears in this verse; its significance is narrative and symbolic, describing a transformation that typically arises from entering a restricted sacred/ritual domain in the broader Ilā episode.