Shloka 181

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

Devanagari script

मन्यसे मायया जातं विष्णुं चापि युगे युगे आत्मनो न विनाशो ऽस्ति स्थावरान्ते ऽपि भूधर //

Transliteration

manyase māyayā jātaṃ viṣṇuṃ cāpi yuge yuge ātmano na vināśo 'sti sthāvarānte 'pi bhūdhara //

Translation

O steadfast one, you think that Viṣṇu is born through māyā in every age; yet the Self (ātman) is never destroyed—even at the end of all that is immovable.

Word by Word

• manyase: you think/you suppose

• māyayā: through māyā, by divine power/illusion

• jātam: born, arisen, manifested

• viṣṇum: Viṣṇu

• ca api: and also/indeed

• yuge yuge: in each age, age after age

• ātmanaḥ: of the Self, of the ātman

• na: not

• vināśaḥ: destruction, annihilation

• asti: is/exists

• sthāvara-ante: at the end of the immovable world/at the termination of all fixed beings

• api: even

• bhūdhara: O mountain, O bearer of the earth (steady one).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) addressing Vaivasvata Manu (vocative used as a ‘steadfast one’/bhūdhara as an epithet)

Entities Mentioned

• Vishnu
• Maya
• Atman

Tags

• Pralaya
• Matsya-Manu Dialogue
• Atman
• Vishnu
• Yuga

FAQs

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

It implies that even when the world reaches the end of the ‘immovable’ order (a dissolution), the ātman is not annihilated; cosmic change does not destroy the Self.

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

By stressing the imperishability of the Self and the cyclical nature of ages, it supports steadiness in dharma: a king or householder should act without panic in crises, grounding conduct in enduring spiritual truth rather than temporary conditions.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; the takeaway is doctrinal—māyā and cyclical yugas frame why temples/rites are renewed across ages while the ultimate Self remains unchanged.