Shloka 56

Matsya Purana — The Madana-Dvādaśī Vow and the Birth of the Maruts

Devanagari script

रुदन्तः सप्त ते बाला निषिद्धा गिरिदारिणा भूयो ऽपि रुदतश्चैतान् एकैकं सप्तधा हरिः //

Transliteration

rudantaḥ sapta te bālā niṣiddhā giridāriṇā bhūyo 'pi rudataścaitān ekaikaṃ saptadhā hariḥ //

Translation

Those seven children cried aloud and were restrained by Giridārī, the Mountain-bearer. Yet, as they cried again, Hari caused each one of them to become sevenfold.

Word by Word

• रुदन्तः: crying

• सप्त: seven

• ते: those

• बाला: children (young ones)

• निषिद्धाः: restrained/forbidden

• गिरिदारिणा: by Giridārī (the mountain-bearer, i.e., Kṛṣṇa/Vişṇu)

• भूयः अपि: again also/once more

• रुदतः: while crying

• च एतान्: and these (children)

• एकैकम्: each one individually

• सप्तधा: into seven parts/sevenfold

• हरिः: Hari (Vişṇu)

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) in Purāṇic narration (within the Matsya Purāṇa’s early mythic account)

Entities Mentioned

• Hari (Vishnu)
• Giridārī (Mountain-bearer)

Tags

• Mythic narrative
• Vishnu
• Multiplication motif
• Cosmic order
• Purāṇic etiology

FAQs

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

It does not directly describe Pralaya; instead, it highlights Hari’s power to multiply beings, a typical Purāṇic motif used to explain the expansion of groups or lineages within cosmic order.

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

Indirectly, it models the theme of restraint and governance: the crying children are ‘checked’ (niṣiddhāḥ), suggesting that disorder is first restrained, yet divine will can still transform outcomes beyond ordinary control—an ethical reminder that rulers manage immediate order while acknowledging higher dharma.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; its significance is narrative-theological, emphasizing Hari’s miraculous agency rather than temple-building or rite-prescriptions.