Shloka 8

Matsya Purana — The Ārdrānandakarī Tṛtīyā Vrata: Ritual Procedure

Devanagari script

देव्या मुखं विलासिन्यै वृषेशाय पुनर्विभोः स्मितं सस्मेरलीलायै विश्ववक्त्राय वै विभो //

Transliteration

devyā mukhaṃ vilāsinyai vṛṣeśāya punarvibhoḥ smitaṃ sasmeralīlāyai viśvavaktrāya vai vibho //

Translation

The Goddess’s face is for the One who delights in sacred play; and again, O Lord, Your smile is for the Bull-bannered Lord (Vṛṣeśa), Śiva. O all-pervading One, You are the very face of the universe—indeed, the Lord of all.

Word by Word

• devyāḥ: of the Goddess

• mukham: face

• vilāsinyai: for the playful/charming one (as an epithet)

• vṛṣeśāya: for the Lord of the Bull (Śiva)

• punaḥ: again/further

• vibhoḥ: of the all-pervading Lord

• smitam: smile

• sasmera-līlāyai: for the one whose play is gently smiling/for smiling sport

• viśva-vaktrāya: to the universe-faced / whose face is the cosmos

• vai: indeed

• vibho: O all-pervading Lord (vocative)

Speaker

• Purāṇic narrator (likely Sūta) presenting a stuti-style verse; not a direct Matsya–Manu dialogue line

Entities Mentioned

• Devī
• Śiva (Vṛṣeśa / Bull-lord)
• Vibhu (all-pervading Lord, typically Viṣṇu in Purāṇic usage)

Tags

• Stotra
• Iconography
• Theology
• Śiva-Śakti
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

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

Indirectly, it presents the supreme Lord as “viśva-vaktra” (the universe-faced), a theological idea used in Purāṇas to ground cosmic manifestation and re-absorption in the all-pervading divine, though this verse itself is primarily devotional praise rather than a Pralaya narrative.

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

As a stuti, it supports dharmic life through devotion and right orientation: kings and householders are encouraged in the Matsya Purana to uphold dharma with reverence toward Devī and the great deities; recitation and remembrance cultivate humility and righteous governance rather than prescribing a specific rule here.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The verse is not a Vāstu-technical rule, but its epithets (e.g., Vṛṣeśa, Viśvavaktra) are useful in ritual/temple contexts for dhyāna and nāma-recitation—helping define the deity’s contemplated form and cosmic status during pūjā.