Shloka 1

Matsya Purana — The Maheshvara Vow: Śiva-Caturdaśī Vrata

Devanagari script

*नारद उवाच भगवन्भूतभव्येश तथान्यदपि यच्छ्रुतम् भुक्तिमुक्तिफलायालं तत्पुनर् वक्तुमर्हसि //

Transliteration

*nārada uvāca bhagavanbhūtabhavyeśa tathānyadapi yacchrutam bhuktimuktiphalāyālaṃ tatpunar vaktumarhasi //

Translation

Narada said: O Blessed Lord, O Ruler of what has been and what is to come—whatever else I have heard from you, fully capable of granting the fruits of worldly enjoyment and liberation, please be pleased to speak of that again.

Word by Word

• नारदः (nāradaḥ): Narada

• उवाच (uvāca): said

• भगवन् (bhagavan): O Lord/Blessed One

• भूत-भव्य-ईश (bhūta-bhavya-īśa): Lord of the past and the future

• तथा (tathā): and/also

• अन्यद् अपि (anyad api): other (teachings) too

• यत् (yat): which/that

• श्रुतम् (śrutam): heard

• भुक्ति (bhukti): worldly enjoyment/prosperity

• मुक्ति (mukti): liberation

• फलाय (phalāya): for the fruit/result

• अलम् (alam): sufficient/fully capable

• तत् (tat): that

• पुनः (punaḥ): again

• वक्तुम् (vaktum): to speak

• अर्हसि (arhasi): you are requested/you ought (please).

Speaker

• Narada

Entities Mentioned

• Narada
• Bhagavan (Vishnu/Matsya as the addressed Lord)

Tags

• Bhakti
• Moksha
• Upadesha
• Dialogue
• Phala

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya directly; it frames a request for teachings powerful enough to grant both worldly fruition (bhukti) and liberation (mukti), which typically includes cosmological themes in later verses.

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

By emphasizing bhukti and mukti together, the verse signals the Purana’s practical ethic: righteous living and duty (dharma) support prosperity, while the same disciplined life—guided by devotion and knowledge—can culminate in liberation.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vastu/temple-architecture rule appears in this verse; it functions as a narrative prompt that can introduce ritual, vrata, dana, or temple-related instructions elsewhere in the chapter sequence.