Shloka 21

Matsya Purana — The Kauśika Descendants: Śrāddha

Devanagari script

राज्यकामो ऽभवच्चैकस् तेषां मध्ये जलौकसाम् पितृवर्ती च यो विप्रः श्राद्धकृत् पितृवत्सलः //

Transliteration

rājyakāmo 'bhavaccaikas teṣāṃ madhye jalaukasām pitṛvartī ca yo vipraḥ śrāddhakṛt pitṛvatsalaḥ //

Translation

Among those water-dwelling beings, one alone became desirous of sovereignty; and there was also a brāhmaṇa—devoted to the ways of the Fathers—who performed śrāddha and was affectionate toward the Pitṛs.

Word by Word

• rājyakāmaḥ: desirous of kingship/sovereignty

• abhavat: became/arose

• ca: and

• ekaḥ: one (alone)

• teṣām: among them/of them

• madhye: in the midst

• jala-okasām: of those whose abode is water, water-dwellers

• pitṛ-vartī: one who follows/abides by the path of the Pitṛs (ancestral code)

• ca: and

• yaḥ: who

• vipraḥ: brāhmaṇa, learned priest

• śrāddha-kṛt: performer of śrāddha rites

• pitṛ-vatsalaḥ: loving/devoted to the ancestors (Pitṛs).

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing a moral-typological episode within the Dharma/Pitṛ-dharma context

Entities Mentioned

• Pitṛs
• Vipra (Brāhmaṇa)

Tags

• Pitṛ-dharma
• Śrāddha
• Householder duties
• Kingship desire
• Ritual ethics

FAQs

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

This verse does not directly describe pralaya; it instead highlights moral tendencies (desire for rulership) and the counterbalancing virtue of Pitṛ-dharma through śrāddha.

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

It contrasts ambition for sovereignty with the dharmic ideal of a householder-brāhmaṇa who faithfully performs śrāddha and maintains devotion to the ancestors—implying that social order and legitimacy rest on ritual duty and reverence for lineage.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is explicit: performing śrāddha (ancestral rite). No Vāstu or temple-architecture rule is stated in this verse.