Shloka 35

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

Devanagari script

यः स देवो हृषीकेशः पद्मनाभस्त्रिविक्रमः युगान्तकृष्णवर्त्माभो विश्वस्य जगतः प्रभुः //

Transliteration

yaḥ sa devo hṛṣīkeśaḥ padmanābhastrivikramaḥ yugāntakṛṣṇavartmābho viśvasya jagataḥ prabhuḥ //

Translation

He is that very God—Hṛṣīkeśa, Padmanābha, and Trivikrama—whose radiance is like the dark path at the world’s end, the sovereign Lord of the entire universe and all moving creation.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who

• saḥ: that (very one)

• devaḥ: the Divine Lord

• hṛṣīkeśaḥ: Hṛṣīkeśa (Lord of the senses)

• padmanābhaḥ: Padmanābha (He whose navel is the lotus)

• trivikramaḥ: Trivikrama (He of the three strides)

• yugānta: end of an age/aeon

• kṛṣṇa: dark

• vartma: path/track

• ābhaḥ: radiance/appearance

• viśvasya: of the universe

• jagataḥ: of the moving world/creation

• prabhuḥ: master, sovereign.

Speaker

• Likely the narrator/reciter within a Vishnu-stuti passage (contextually aligned with Suta’s narration style in Purana recitations; exact speaker varies by recension).

Entities Mentioned

• Vishnu
• Hṛṣīkeśa
• Padmanābha
• Trivikrama

Tags

• Vishnu Stuti
• Divine Epithets
• Pralaya Imagery
• Cosmic Lordship
• Bhakti

FAQs

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

It uses “yugānta” (end of the age) imagery to portray Vishnu as the supreme power whose awe-inspiring radiance/end-time aspect presides over cosmic dissolution and the universe’s ultimate sovereignty.

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

By affirming one supreme “prabhu” over the world, it frames dharma as rooted in devotion, self-restraint, and rightful governance under divine order—key ethical foundations repeatedly emphasized in the Matsya Purana.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vastu or temple-rule instruction appears in this verse; its ritual value is as a stuti-mantra praising Vishnu’s names, suitable for recitation in pūjā, vrata, and consecratory contexts where divine epithets are invoked.