Shloka 66

Matsya Purana — Soma

Devanagari script

तेभ्यो ऽपरे तु ये त्वन्ये संकीर्णाः कर्मयोनिषु भ्रष्टाश्चाश्रमधर्मेषु स्वधास्वाहाविवर्जिताः //

Transliteration

tebhyo 'pare tu ye tvanye saṃkīrṇāḥ karmayoniṣu bhraṣṭāścāśramadharmeṣu svadhāsvāhāvivarjitāḥ //

Translation

But others, distinct from them, are those who have become intermixed among occupational lineages (karmayoni); they have fallen away from the duties of the āśramas and are devoid of the sacred invocations “svadhā” and “svāhā” (that is, they neglect rites for the ancestors and offerings to the gods).

Word by Word

• tebhyaḥ: from them/than those previously mentioned

• apare: others

• tu: but

• ye: who

• tu anye: indeed (still) others

• saṃkīrṇāḥ: mixed, intermingled

• karmayoniṣu: in occupational/professional origins or lineages (lit. wombs of action)

• bhraṣṭāḥ: fallen, deviated

• ca: and

• āśrama-dharmeṣu: in the duties of the life-stages (brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, saṃnyāsa)

• svadhā: the ancestral oblation-formula for Pitṛ rites

• svāhā: the offering-formula for fire oblations to the gods

• vivarjitāḥ: deprived of, bereft of

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) to Vaivasvata Manu (likely narration context)

Entities Mentioned

• Matsya
• Vaivasvata Manu
• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Devas (gods)
• Agni (implied in svāhā)

Tags

• Dharma
• Varna-Ashrama
• Ancestral Rites
• Homa
• Social Ethics

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe pralaya directly; it highlights moral and ritual decline—people deviating from āśrama-dharma and neglecting ancestral and fire-offering rites—which in Purāṇic thought is a symptom of societal degeneration within an age.

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

It underscores core gṛhastha duties: maintaining śraaddha/tarpaṇa for ancestors (svadhā) and yajña/homa offerings to the gods (svāhā). A king is implied to uphold social order by encouraging proper āśrama observance and preventing widespread neglect of these foundational rites.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is explicit: “svadhā” points to Pitṛ rites (śrāddha, tarpaṇa) and “svāhā” to fire oblations (homa/yajña). The verse frames the absence of these formulas as a marker of being outside orthodox ritual culture.