Shloka 28

Matsya Purana — The Array of the Gods: Description of the Vaiṣṇava Host and the Lokapālas

Devanagari script

यः प्राणः सर्वभूतानां पञ्चधा भिद्यते नृषु सप्तधातुगतो लोकांस् त्रीन्दधार चचार च //

Transliteration

yaḥ prāṇaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ pañcadhā bhidyate nṛṣu saptadhātugato lokāṃs trīndadhāra cacāra ca //

Translation

That vital life-breath which belongs to all beings becomes divided fivefold in human beings; entering into the seven bodily constituents, it sustains the three worlds and also moves through them.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: which/that

• prāṇaḥ: vital breath, life-force

• sarva-bhūtānām: of all beings

• pañcadhā: in five ways (as the five prāṇas)

• bhidyate: is divided, differentiated

• nṛṣu: among humans

• sapta-dhātu-gataḥ: having entered/being situated in the seven dhātus (bodily tissues)

• lokān: the worlds

• trīn: three

• dadhāra: sustained, upheld

• cacāra: moved, circulated

• ca: and

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (teaching Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Prāṇa
• Pañca-prāṇa
• Sapta-dhātu
• Tri-loka

Tags

• Prana
• Ayurvedic physiology
• Cosmic order
• Matsya teachings
• Dhatu doctrine

FAQs

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

It frames prāṇa as a cosmic principle that upholds the three worlds; such teaching supports the Purāṇic view that the same life-force operates through bodies and the cosmos across cycles of creation and dissolution.

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

By presenting prāṇa as the sustaining force within all beings, it implies an ethic of protection and restraint: a king should safeguard life and public health, and a householder should live with moderation, honoring the life-force through disciplined conduct.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or iconographic rule is stated; ritually, the verse supports prāṇa-centered practices (breath control, prāṇāyāma, and prāṇa-pratiṣṭhā ideas) where life-force is invoked as the sustaining principle.