Shloka 153

Matsya Purana — The Strategy to Defeat Tāraka: Pārvatī’s Birth

Devanagari script

मनुजास्तत्र जायन्ते यतो न गृहधर्मिणः क्रमेणाश्रमसंप्राप्तिर् ब्रह्मचारिव्रतादनु //

Transliteration

manujāstatra jāyante yato na gṛhadharmiṇaḥ krameṇāśramasaṃprāptir brahmacārivratādanu //

Translation

People are born there because they are not established in the duties of the householder (gṛha-dharma); and the orderly attainment of the stages of life (āśramas)—following the observance of brahmacarya—does not proceed there in due sequence.

Word by Word

• manujāḥ: human beings

• tatra: there/in that condition or region

• jāyante: are born

• yataḥ: because/since

• na: not

• gṛha-dharmiṇaḥ: those grounded in householder-dharma

• krameṇa: in due order/step by step

• āśrama-saṃprāptiḥ: attainment of the āśramas (life-stages)

• brahmacāri-vratāt: from/after the brahmacārin’s vow (brahmacarya discipline)

• anu: following/after

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, within the Matsya–Manu dialogue frame typical of the Purana)

Entities Mentioned

• Brahmacarya
• Grihastha
• Ashrama system
• Manujas (humankind)

Tags

• Dharma
• Ashrama
• Brahmacarya
• Grihastha
• Social order

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it addresses social and ethical order—specifically the breakdown of the āśrama sequence and the neglect of gṛhastha-dharma.

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

It implies that society becomes unstable when household duties (supporting family, sacrifice, charity, and social maintenance) are neglected and when life-stages are not followed in sequence after brahmacarya—an ideal a king is expected to protect and a householder is expected to embody.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or temple-architecture rule appears here; the ritual takeaway is the emphasis on brahmacarya-vrata and the proper progression into gṛhastha life as a foundation for sustained religious practice.