Shloka 30

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

Devanagari script

यं वदन्त्युत्तमं भूतं यं वदन्त्यशरीरिणम् यमाहुराकाशगमं शीघ्रगं शब्दयोगिनम् //

Transliteration

yaṃ vadantyuttamaṃ bhūtaṃ yaṃ vadantyaśarīriṇam yamāhurākāśagamaṃ śīghragaṃ śabdayoginam //

Translation

Whom they call the highest Being; whom they describe as bodiless; whom they declare to move through the sky, swift-moving—him they call the yogin of sound (Śabda-yogin).

Word by Word

• yam: whom

• vadanti: they say/call

• uttamam: highest/supreme

• bhūtam: being/entity

• aśarīriṇam: bodiless/incorporeal

• āhuḥ: they declare

• ākāśa-gamam: moving through space/sky-going

• śīghra-gam: swift-moving

• śabda-yoginam: one united with sound (master of mantra/inner sound-yoga)

Speaker

• Likely Sūta (narrator) conveying the Matsya Purana’s doctrinal description of the Supreme (contextually aligned with teachings attributed to Lord Matsya)

Entities Mentioned

• Supreme Being (Paramatman/Brahman)
• Śabda (sound/mantra)
• Ākāśa (space)

Tags

• Brahman
• Śabda-Yoga
• Mantra
• Formless Divine
• Moksha

FAQs

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

It presents the Supreme as bodiless and all-pervading (moving through space), implying a reality that remains untouched by cosmic change—creation and Pralaya occur within it, not to it.

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

By identifying the Divine as the ‘Śabda-yogin’ (master of sacred sound), it supports the householder/kingly duty of maintaining mantra-based rites, truthful speech, and Vedic recitation as stabilizing forces for dharma and social order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it elevates śabda (mantra/recitation) as a primary yogic instrument—useful for consecrations and daily worship—though it does not give direct temple or Vastu measurements in this specific verse.