Shloka 71

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

Devanagari script

सौम्याः सुतपसो ज्ञेयाः सौम्या बर्हिषदस्तथा अग्निष्वात्तास् त्रयश्चैव पितृसर्गस्थिता द्विजाः //

Transliteration

saumyāḥ sutapaso jñeyāḥ saumyā barhiṣadastathā agniṣvāttās trayaścaiva pitṛsargasthitā dvijāḥ //

Translation

Know that the Sutapas are Saumyas; and likewise the Barhiṣads are Saumyas. And the three classes called the Agniṣvāttas—these twice-born are established within the creation of the Pitṛs, the ancestral order.

Word by Word

• सौम्याः (saumyāḥ): the Saumya-class (gentle/lunar group)

• सुतपसः (sutapasaḥ): the Sutapas (a named class of Pitṛs)

• ज्ञेयाः (jñeyāḥ): should be known/understood

• सौम्याः (saumyāḥ): belonging to the Saumya-class

• बर्हिषदः (barhiṣadaḥ): the Barhiṣads (Pitṛs associated with sacrificial grass/ritual)

• तथा (tathā): likewise

• अग्निष्वात्ताः (agniṣvāttāḥ): the Agniṣvāttas (Pitṛ class ‘offered/consumed by fire’)

• त्रयः (trayaḥ): three (classes)

• च एव (ca eva): and indeed

• पितृसर्गस्थिताः (pitṛ-sarga-sthitāḥ): situated/established in the Pitṛ-creation

• द्विजाः (dvijāḥ): twice-born (Brahmin/Kshatriya/Vaishya

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, within the Matsya Purana’s continuous dialogue frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Pitṛs
• Saumyāḥ
• Sutapas
• Barhiṣads
• Agniṣvāttas
• Dvijāḥ

Tags

• Pitṛs
• Sarga
• Manvantara
• Ritual taxonomy
• Ancestral cosmology

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it maps the ordered creation (sarga) of the Pitṛs by naming their principal classes (Saumya/Sutapas, Barhiṣad, and the three Agniṣvātta groups), showing cosmic organization rather than dissolution.

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

By identifying Pitṛ classes, it underpins śrāddha and ancestral rites: a householder (and a king as guardian of dharma) must support correct ritual practice, offerings, and remembrance of ancestors in accordance with recognized Pitṛ orders.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual rather than architectural: terms like Barhiṣad point to sacrificial procedure (barhis, the sacred grass) and Agniṣvātta to fire-offerings—key categories used in explaining śrāddha, yajña contexts, and ancestral worship frameworks.