Shloka 52

Matsya Purana — The Attendant Hosts of the Sun and Moon: Monthly Gaṇas

Devanagari script

अजश्च त्रिपथश्चैव वृषो वाजी नरो हयः अंशुमान् सप्तधातुश्च हंसो व्योममृगस्तथा //

Transliteration

ajaśca tripathaścaiva vṛṣo vājī naro hayaḥ aṃśumān saptadhātuśca haṃso vyomamṛgastathā //

Translation

“(He is) Aja, Tripatha; the Bull; the Steed; the Man; the Horse; the Radiant One; the One of seven constituents; the Swan; and likewise the Sky‑roaming Deer.”

Word by Word

• अज (aja): the Unborn / Aja

• त्रिपथ (tripatha): the Threefold Path (often the three heavenly courses/streams)

• वृष (vṛṣa): bull (emblem of strength/dharma)

• वाजी (vājī): steed / swift one

• नर (nara): man / the cosmic Person

• हय (haya): horse

• अंशुमान् (aṃśumān): radiant, beam-filled (sun-like)

• सप्तधातु (saptadhātu): possessing seven dhātus (seven bodily/elemental constituents)

• हंस (haṃsa): swan (symbol of the supreme Self / discerner)

• व्योममृग (vyomamṛga): sky-roaming ‘deer’ (a poetic epithet for a celestial mover, often the sun/planet).

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) conveying a traditional nāma-list used in praise/recitation

Entities Mentioned

• Aja
• Tripatha
• Haṃsa
• Vṛṣa
• Vyomamṛga

Tags

• Iconography
• Divine Names
• Stotra
• Vishnu Epithets
• Ritual Recitation

FAQs

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

Indirectly, it frames the deity as transcendent and cosmic—“Aja” (unborn) and “Tripatha” (threefold course) point to a lord who governs cosmic order across realms, a common theological foundation for Purāṇic accounts of creation and dissolution.

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

As a nāma-stuti style verse, it supports dharma through disciplined worship: rulers and householders are encouraged in the Matsya Purana to sustain order via daily rites, recitation, and honoring divine qualities like strength (vṛṣa) and discernment (haṃsa).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The verse functions as a ritual name-list (nāma), suitable for japa/archana in temple worship; in iconography-focused sections of the Matsya Purana, such epithets commonly accompany consecration and daily pūjā protocols rather than giving measurements directly.