Shloka 15

Matsya Purana — The Greatness of the Vibhūti-Dvādaśī Vow: Pushkara

Devanagari script

तन्मौल्यलाभाय पुरं समस्तं भ्रान्तं त्वयाशेषम् अहस् तदासीत् क्रेता न कश्चित्कमलेषु जातः श्रान्तो भृशं क्षुत्परिपीडितश्च //

Transliteration

tanmaulyalābhāya puraṃ samastaṃ bhrāntaṃ tvayāśeṣam ahas tadāsīt kretā na kaścitkamaleṣu jātaḥ śrānto bhṛśaṃ kṣutparipīḍitaśca //

Translation

To obtain the price for it, you wandered through the entire city all day long; yet, O lotus-born one, there was no buyer at all. You became utterly exhausted, severely afflicted by hunger as well.

Word by Word

• tat-maulya-lābhāya: for obtaining its price/value

• puram samastam: the whole city

• bhrāntam tvayā: was roamed/wandered by you

• aśeṣam: entirely, without remainder

• ahaḥ: the day

• tadā āsīt: then it was/it happened

• kretā: a buyer

• na kaścit: no one at all

• kamaleṣu jātaḥ: O lotus-born (a respectful address)

• śrāntaḥ: tired/exhausted

• bhṛśam: greatly, intensely

• kṣut-paripīḍitaḥ: tormented by hunger

• ca: and

Speaker

• Narrator within the Matsya Purana’s dialogue framework (likely Sūta recounting, or Matsya relating an illustrative episode to Manu; precise speaker unclear from the single verse)

Entities Mentioned

• Lotus-born (kamaleṣu jātaḥ)

Tags

• Poverty
• Trade
• Hunger
• City-life
• Ethics

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe pralaya or cosmology; it focuses on human hardship—wandering for a sale, finding no buyer, and suffering hunger.

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

It highlights economic vulnerability in urban life; by implication, a righteous king should ensure fair markets and relief for hunger, while a householder should practice charity and compassion toward the destitute.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu, temple-architecture, or ritual procedure is stated; the setting of “the whole city” functions as narrative context rather than technical Vāstu instruction.