Shloka 10

Matsya Purana — The Karmic Cause of Purūravas’ Beauty and Fortune

Devanagari script

*सूत उवाच द्विजग्रामे द्विजश्रेष्ठो नाम्ना चासीत्पुरूरवाः नद्याः कूले महाराजः पूर्वजन्मनि पार्थिवः //

Transliteration

*sūta uvāca dvijagrāme dvijaśreṣṭho nāmnā cāsītpurūravāḥ nadyāḥ kūle mahārājaḥ pūrvajanmani pārthivaḥ //

Translation

Sūta said: In a village of brāhmaṇas there lived a foremost brāhmaṇa named Purūravas. O great king, on the bank of a river he had been a ruler in a former birth.

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta (the narrator)

• uvāca: said

• dvija-grāme: in a brāhmaṇa settlement/village

• dvija-śreṣṭhaḥ: the best among the twice-born (brāhmaṇas)

• nāmnā: by name

• ca: and

• āsīt: there was/lived

• purūravaḥ: Purūravas

• nadyāḥ: of a river

• kūle: on the bank

• mahā-rājaḥ: O great king / great king

• pūrva-janmani: in a former birth

• pārthivaḥ: a king, earthly ruler

Speaker

• Sūta

Entities Mentioned

• Sūta
• Purūravas

Tags

• Dynasties
• Rebirth
• Genealogy
• Kingship
• Puranic Narrative

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it introduces a biographical detail about Purūravas, emphasizing rebirth and a shift from kingship in a former life to brāhmaṇa status in the present setting.

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

By stating that Purūravas was a ruler in a previous birth, the verse frames kingship as a dharmic role that can change across lives; it sets a moral-historical context often used in the Purāṇas to connect conduct (rājadharma) with future destinies.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu or ritual procedure is stated; the only locational marker is 'on a riverbank,' a common Purāṇic setting that can imply auspicious geography but contains no technical architectural rule in this verse.