Shloka 11

Matsya Purana — The Ārdrānandakarī Tṛtīyā Vrata: Ritual Procedure

Devanagari script

विश्वकायौ विश्वमुखौ विश्वपादकरौ शिवौ प्रसन्नवदनौ वन्दे पार्वतीपरमेश्वरौ //

Transliteration

viśvakāyau viśvamukhau viśvapādakarau śivau prasannavadanau vande pārvatīparameśvarau //

Translation

I bow to Pārvatī and Parameśvara (Śiva)—whose bodies are the universe, whose faces are the universe, whose hands and feet are the universe—ever auspicious, with serene and gracious countenances.

Word by Word

• विश्व-कायौ: whose bodies are the universe

• विश्व-मुखौ: whose faces are the universe / who are universal-faced

• विश्व-पाद-करौ: whose feet and hands are the universe

• शिवौ: the two auspicious ones / Śiva (as a divine pair)

• प्रसन्न-वदनौ: with pleased/serene faces

• वन्दे: I bow to / I worship

• पार्वती-परमेश्वरौ: Pārvatī and Paramēśvara (Śiva)

Speaker

• Narrator/reciter (Purāṇic voice; likely Sūta-style narration introducing or embedding a hymn)

Entities Mentioned

• Parvati
• Shiva
• Parameshvara

Tags

• Stotra
• Shiva-Parvati
• Devotional Praise
• Cosmic Form
• Theology

FAQs

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

It presents Śiva and Pārvatī in a cosmic (viśvarūpa) theology—identifying the divine couple with the universe itself—an idea that underlies Purāṇic views where the cosmos can be absorbed and re-manifest through the supreme divine reality, though this particular verse is praise rather than a direct Pralaya description.

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

As a vandanā (reverential salutation), it models the Purāṇic ethic of beginning actions with devotion and humility; for kings and householders, such praise supports dharma by cultivating self-restraint, auspicious intention, and reverence toward the cosmic order embodied by the deity.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

While it does not give Vāstu rules directly, it reflects the iconographic/ritual principle of the deity as viśvarūpa (cosmic-bodied); in temple worship, this supports consecration and meditation practices where the image is contemplated as the universe itself, legitimizing universal-form dhyāna in pūjā.