Shloka 12

Matsya Purana — The Kauśika Descendants: Śrāddha

Devanagari script

ततः कालावकृष्टास्ते व्याधा दाशपुरे ऽभवन् जातिस्मरत्वं प्राप्तास्ते पितृभावेन भाविताः //

Transliteration

tataḥ kālāvakṛṣṭāste vyādhā dāśapure 'bhavan jātismaratvaṃ prāptāste pitṛbhāvena bhāvitāḥ //

Translation

Then, carried along by the force of time, they became hunters in Daśapura; and, being imbued with a fatherly disposition, they attained the power of remembering their former births (jātismaratva).

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereupon

• kāla-ava-kṛṣṭāḥ: drawn/impelled by Time (destiny’s pull)

• te: they

• vyādhāḥ: hunters

• dāśapure: in Daśapura (a town/city)

• abhavan: became

• jāti-smaratvam: remembrance of one’s birth(s), past-life memory

• prāptāḥ: attained/obtained

• te: they

• pitṛ-bhāvena: by/through a paternal feeling (fatherly attitude)

• bhāvitāḥ: infused, cultivated, conditioned, pervaded

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) recounting the episode within the Matsya Purana narrative frame

Entities Mentioned

• Daśapura
• Kāla (Time)
• Vyādha (hunters)
• Jātismara (past-life remembrance)

Tags

• Dynasties
• Karma
• Time (Kāla)
• Jātismara
• Narrative

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; instead, it highlights Kāla (Time) as the governing force that carries beings through changing births and conditions across rebirth.

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

By stressing the power of cultivated disposition (bhāva)—here, a “fatherly” attitude—it implies that ethical orientation and nurturing responsibility shape one’s character and destiny, a key expectation for householders and rulers alike.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or ritual procedure is specified in this verse; its takeaway is psychological-ethical: inner disposition (pitṛbhāva) can mature into extraordinary awareness such as jātismara.