Shloka 173

Matsya Purana — The Slaying of Jambha and the Rise of Tāraka: Divine Battle Formations

Devanagari script

शरैर्यथा कुचरितैः प्रख्यातं परमागतम् सुनिर्मलं क्रमायातं कुपुत्रः स्वं महाकुलम् //

Transliteration

śarairyathā kucaritaiḥ prakhyātaṃ paramāgatam sunirmalaṃ kramāyātaṃ kuputraḥ svaṃ mahākulam //

Translation

Just as arrows, when wrongly aimed, can strike down what is famed and inherited from the highest ancestors, so too does a wicked son destroy his own great lineage, though it has come down in pure repute through an unbroken succession.

Word by Word

• शरैः (śaraiḥ): by arrows

• यथा (yathā): just as

• कुचरितैः (kucaritaiḥ): by bad conduct / wrongful action

• प्रख्यातम् (prakhyātam): renowned, well-known

• परमागतम् (paramāgatam): obtained from the highest (ancestors), handed down as a supreme inheritance

• सुनिर्मलम् (sunirmalam): very pure, stainless

• क्रमायातम् (kramāyātam): come in due order, transmitted successively

• कुपुत्रः (kuputraḥ): a wicked/degenerate son

• स्वम् (svam): his own

• महाकुलम् (mahākulam): great family/illustrious lineage

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu on dharma and conduct)

Entities Mentioned

• Kuputra (wicked son)
• Mahākula (great lineage)

Tags

• Rajadharma
• Family lineage
• Ethics
• Reputation
• Conduct

FAQs

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

This verse is not about cosmic pralaya; it uses a worldly analogy (misdirected arrows) to describe the moral “ruin” of a family’s inherited fame through misconduct.

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

It warns that dharma and self-restraint protect kula (lineage) and kīrti (reputation). For householders, raising virtuous children is a duty; for kings, ensuring right conduct in heirs and administration preserves dynastic legitimacy.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vastu or ritual procedure is stated here; the teaching is ethical—highlighting how inherited purity of reputation can be quickly ruined by a single person’s wrongdoing.