Shloka 29

Matsya Purana — The Gods Seek Śiva’s Refuge: The Cosmic Chariot Prepared for the Burning of T...

Devanagari script

युगं कृतयुगं चात्र चातुर्होत्रप्रयोजकाः चतुर्वर्णाः सलीलाश्च बभूवुः स्वर्णकुण्डलाः //

Transliteration

yugaṃ kṛtayugaṃ cātra cāturhotraprayojakāḥ caturvarṇāḥ salīlāśca babhūvuḥ svarṇakuṇḍalāḥ //

Translation

In that age it was the Kṛta Yuga; there people were engaged in the performance of the fourfold Vedic rites (chāturhotra), the four social orders were present, all were sportive and joyful in disposition, and they wore golden earrings.

Word by Word

युगम्the age/epoch

कृतयुगम्Kṛta Yuga (Satya Yuga)

चand

अत्रhere/in this context

चातुर्होत्रप्रयोजकाःthose who set in motion/perform the four hotṛ-related Vedic rites (the fourfold sacrificial system)

चतुर्वर्णाःthe four varṇas (Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya, Vaiśya, Śūdra)

सलीलाःplayful, sportive, joyful

चand

बभूवुःbecame/were

स्वर्णकुण्डलाःwearers of golden earrings / adorned with golden earrings

Speaker

Lord Matsya (teaching Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

Kṛta YugaCāturhotra (fourfold Vedic rite)Caturvarṇa (four varṇas)

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it describes the ideal order of the Kṛta Yuga—ritual regularity, social completeness (four varṇas), and prosperity—often contrasted with later yugas where dharma declines.

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

By highlighting cāturhotra performance and stable varṇa order, it implies the king’s duty to protect dharma and enable Vedic rites, and the householder’s duty to sustain sacrificial culture and social responsibilities in harmony.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it points to cāturhotra—the fourfold sacrificial framework associated with regulated Vedic priestly functions—signaling a society organized around yajña as the central religious institution.