Shloka 9

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

Devanagari script

*ऋषय ऊचुः पुरूरवा मद्रपतिः कर्मणा केन पार्थिवः बभूव कर्मणा केन रूपवांश्चैव सूतज //

Transliteration

*ṛṣaya ūcuḥ purūravā madrapatiḥ karmaṇā kena pārthivaḥ babhūva karmaṇā kena rūpavāṃścaiva sūtaja //

Translation

The sages said: “By what meritorious deed did Purūravas, lord of Madra, become a king? And by what deed did that son of a sūta become handsome as well?”

Word by Word

• ऋषयः: the sages

• ऊचुः: said

• पुरूरवा: Purūravas

• मद्रपतिः: lord of Madra (king of the Madra country)

• कर्मणा: by (what) action/deed

• केन: by which

• पार्थिवः: a king/earth-ruler

• बभूव: became

• कर्मणा: by (what) deed

• केन: by which

• रूपवान्: handsome/possessing beauty

• च एव: and indeed/also

• सूतज: born of a sūta (charioteer-bard caste), i.e., “the sūta-born son”.

Speaker

• The sages (ṛṣis)

Entities Mentioned

• Purūravas
• Madra
• Sūta (as a social designation)

Tags

• Dynasties
• Genealogy
• Karma
• Kingship
• Royal legitimacy

FAQs

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

Nothing directly—this verse is genealogical and ethical in tone, focusing on karma as the cause of royal status and personal beauty rather than cosmology or pralaya.

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

It frames kingship and personal qualities as karmically conditioned, implying that rulership is not merely hereditary but linked to meritorious deeds—an idea that undergirds the Matsya Purana’s broader ethic of dharma-based governance.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No vāstu, temple-building, or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; it functions as a narrative question setting up an explanation of past deeds and their results.