Shloka 4

Matsya Purana — Śukra Warns Vṛṣaparvan: The Ripening of Adharma and Devayānī’s Demand for Śar...

Devanagari script

फलत्येवं ध्रुवं पापं गुरुभुक्तमिवोदरे यदा घातयसे विप्रं कचमाङ्गिरसं तदा //

Transliteration

phalatyevaṃ dhruvaṃ pāpaṃ gurubhuktamivodare yadā ghātayase vipraṃ kacamāṅgirasaṃ tadā //

Translation

Thus sin surely ripens—like a heavy meal digested in the belly—at the very moment you strike down the Brahmin Kaca, the descendant of Aṅgiras.

Word by Word

• फलति (phalati): bears fruit, ripens

• एवम् (evam): thus

• ध्रुवम् (dhruvam): certainly, inevitably

• पापम् (pāpam): sin, demerit

• गुरु-भुक्तम् (guru-bhuktam): a heavy meal that has been eaten

• इव (iva): like

• उदरे (udare): in the belly

• यदा (yadā): when

• घातयसे (ghātayase): you cause to be killed / you slay

• विप्रम् (vipram): a Brahmin

• कचम् (kacam): Kaca (proper name)

• आङ्गिरसम् (āṅgirasam): descendant of Aṅgiras

• तदा (tadā): then, at that very time

Speaker

• Likely the narrator-teacher voice within the Matsya Purana’s discourse on sin and its consequences (didactic narration; commonly framed as Matsya instructing Manu in the broader dialogue)

Entities Mentioned

• Kaca
• Aṅgiras
• Vipra (Brahmin)

Tags

• Dharma
• Karma
• Pāpa
• Brahmana-hatyā
• Ethics

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it teaches karmic inevitability—grave sin “ripens” with certainty, emphasizing moral causality rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

It warns that violence against a Brahmin (vipra), especially murder, is a severe breach of dharma; for rulers and householders alike, protecting the righteous and restraining harm is presented as essential to avoid swift karmic downfall.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple-architecture rule is stated here; the ritual takeaway is ethical—brahmahatyā is portrayed as a sin with unavoidable, immediate fruition, underscoring the need for purity of conduct in all rites and social duties.