Shloka 13

Matsya Purana — The Maheshvara Vow: Śiva-Caturdaśī Vrata

Devanagari script

अनन्तैश्वर्यनाथाय जानुनी चार्चयेद्बुधः प्रधानाय नमो जङ्घे गुल्फौ व्योमात्मने नमः //

Transliteration

anantaiśvaryanāthāya jānunī cārcayedbudhaḥ pradhānāya namo jaṅghe gulphau vyomātmane namaḥ //

Translation

A wise worshipper should adore the knees as belonging to the Lord of endless sovereignty. Salutation to the shanks as Pradhāna (the primordial principle); and salutation to the ankles as the One whose essence is the sky, the all-pervading ether.

Word by Word

• अनन्त-ऐश्वर्य-नाथाय: to the Lord (nātha) of endless (ananta) lordly power/sovereignty (aiśvarya)

• जानुनी: the two knees

• च: and

• अर्चयेत्: should worship

• बुधः: the wise person

• प्रधानाय: to Pradhāna, the primordial material principle

• नमः: salutation

• जङ्घे: the two shanks/legs (from knee to ankle)

• गुल्फौ: the two ankles

• व्योम-आत्मने: to Him whose essence/nature (ātman) is the sky/ether (vyoman)

• नमः: salutation.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (as Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu on ritual worship/nyasa

Entities Mentioned

• Lord Vishnu (implied as the worshipped deity)
• Pradhana (Sankhya primordial principle)
• Vyoman/Akasha (ether/sky principle)

Tags

• Ritual
• Anga-puja
• Nyasa
• Iconography
• Sankhya

FAQs

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

By identifying the Lord’s limbs with cosmic principles like Pradhāna (primordial matter) and Vyoman (ether), the verse reflects a cosmological vision in which creation’s building-blocks are contained in the Divine—implying the same principles are also withdrawn back into Him at dissolution.

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

It prescribes a disciplined, limb-by-limb mode of worship for the “wise,” aligning personal devotion with cosmic order; for kings and householders, such regulated puja is part of dharma—supporting self-control, purity, and the maintenance of social-religious stability.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it is an anga-puja/nyāsa instruction mapping specific body parts (knees, shanks, ankles) to divine epithets; in temple practice this supports standardized mantra-sequences used in idol worship and consecration routines described across Purāṇic ritual manuals.