Shloka 36

Matsya Purana — The Maheshvara Vow: Śiva-Caturdaśī Vrata

Devanagari script

न बृहस्पतिरप्यनन्तमस्याः फलमिन्दो न पितामहो ऽपि वक्तुम् न च सिद्धगणो ऽप्यलं न चाहं यदि जिह्वायुतकोटयो ऽपि वक्त्रे //

Transliteration

na bṛhaspatirapyanantamasyāḥ phalamindo na pitāmaho 'pi vaktum na ca siddhagaṇo 'pyalaṃ na cāhaṃ yadi jihvāyutakoṭayo 'pi vaktre //

Translation

Even Bṛhaspati cannot fully speak of its endless fruit; nor can Indu (the Moon), nor even Pitāmaha (Brahmā) describe it. Not even the hosts of Siddhas are equal to it—nor could I, even if my mouth possessed tens of millions of tongues.

Word by Word

• na: not

• bṛhaspatiḥ: Bṛhaspati (divine preceptor)

• api: even

• anantam: endless, infinite

• asyāḥ: of this (act/teaching/merit)

• phalam: fruit, result, merit

• induḥ: Indu, the Moon

• na: not

• pitāmahaḥ: Pitāmaha, Brahmā

• api: even

• vaktum: to speak, to describe

• na: not

• ca: and

• siddhagaṇaḥ: the group/hosts of Siddhas (perfected beings)

• api: even

• alam: sufficient, capable

• na: not

• ca: and

• aham: I

• yadi: even if

• jihvā: tongue

• āyuta: ten-thousand

• koṭayaḥ: crores (ten-millions)

• api: even

• vaktre: in the mouth/face (i.e., with such a mouth)

Speaker

• Likely the principal narrator/teacher in the dialogue (commonly Lord Matsya instructing Manu), expressing the immeasurable phala of the preceding teaching or rite

Entities Mentioned

• Bṛhaspati
• Indu (Chandra)
• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• Siddhas

Tags

• Phalaśruti
• Dharma
• Stuti
• Puranic Praise
• Merit (Puṇya)

FAQs

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

This verse is not describing Pralaya directly; it uses hyperbole to state that the spiritual “fruit” (phala) of the preceding dharmic teaching/rite is infinite and beyond the capacity of even cosmic beings to fully articulate.

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

By emphasizing immeasurable phala, the text motivates kings and householders to uphold the prescribed dharma—charity, vows, rites, and ethical conduct—because their results are portrayed as vast, enduring, and spiritually transformative.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No specific Vāstu or iconographic rule is stated in this verse; it functions as a phalaśruti-style assurance that the rite/teaching just described (often ritual, vrata, or dharma) yields boundless merit.