Shloka 63

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

Devanagari script

प्रक्षीयते परे ह्यात्मा पीयमानकलाक्रमात् त्रयश्च त्रिंशता सार्धं त्रयस्त्रिंशच्छतानि तु //

Transliteration

prakṣīyate pare hyātmā pīyamānakalākramāt trayaśca triṃśatā sārdhaṃ trayastriṃśacchatāni tu //

Translation

In the supreme state, the self (as embodied existence) is said to waste away gradually, as the kalās (parts or digits of time) are successively ‘drunk up’ (withdrawn). This proceeds through three-and-thirty levels, and indeed through three hundred and thirty-three in total.

Word by Word

• प्रक्षीयते: dwindles, is exhausted

• परे: in the supreme (transcendent) state/at the final dissolution

• हि: indeed

• आत्मा: the self (here, the individual’s embodied principle of life)

• पीयमान: being drunk up/absorbed/withdrawn

• कला: a digit/part (of the moon

• क्रमात्: in order, step by step

• त्रयः: three

• च: and

• त्रिंशता: thirty

• सार्धम्: together with (i.e., plus)

• त्रयस्त्रिंशत्: thirty-three

• छतानि: hundreds

• तु: indeed, moreover

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu (contextual attribution for this Pralaya-Kāla discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• Atman
• Kala (Time)
• Kalā (digit/part)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Kala
• Cosmic Time
• Dissolution
• Matsya Purana

FAQs

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

It describes pralaya as a gradual process: existence is withdrawn step-by-step as units called kalās are successively absorbed, leading to a progressive ‘diminution’ rather than an instantaneous end.

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

By emphasizing the inevitability of time’s withdrawal, it supports the Purāṇic ethic of measured living—kings and householders should rule and act with detachment, knowing worldly states diminish under Kāla.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or temple-rule is stated; the ritual takeaway is contemplative—time-units (kalā) and orderly sequence (krama) are key Purāṇic concepts used in scheduling rites and understanding cosmic cycles.