Shloka 22

Matsya Purana — The Battle at Tripura: Shiva’s Strategy

Devanagari script

किमेतन्नैव जानामि ज्ञानमन्तर्हितं हि मे ज्ञास्यसे ऽनन्तरेणेति कालो विस्तारतो महान् //

Transliteration

kimetannaiva jānāmi jñānamantarhitaṃ hi me jñāsyase 'nantareṇeti kālo vistārato mahān //

Translation

“What is this? I do not understand it at all, for my knowledge is indeed veiled. (Yet you say,) ‘You will know it before long’—but time, in its full expanse, is immense.”

Word by Word

• kim etat: what is this

• na eva jānāmi: I do not know at all

• jñānam: knowledge

• antarhitam: concealed/hidden/veiled

• hi: indeed

• me: for me/mine

• jñāsyase: you will know/you will come to understand

• anantareṇa: without delay/soon/before long

• iti: thus

• kālaḥ: time

• vistārataḥ: in (its) full extent/expansively

• mahān: great/immense

Speaker

• Vaivasvata Manu (likely, responding within the Matsya–Manu dialogue)

Entities Mentioned

• Kala (Time)

Tags

• Dharma
• Time
• Knowledge
• Matsya-Manu Dialogue
• Puranic Teaching

FAQs

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

Directly, it highlights Kāla (Time) as vast and overwhelming—an idea central to Purāṇic cosmology and Pralaya narratives, where immense timescales govern creation, preservation, and dissolution.

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

It frames humility and patience as virtues: even a ruler may face veiled understanding, and right action (dharma) requires steadiness while knowledge unfolds over time rather than forcing certainty prematurely.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu or ritual rule appears in this verse; its practical takeaway for ritual/śāstra study is that technical knowledge can be ‘hidden’ and requires disciplined time, instruction, and gradual clarification.