Shloka 26

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

Devanagari script

किं त्वयानुदरालीनभुवनप्रविलोकनम् क्रियते स्तिमिताक्षेण भवता विश्वतोमुख //

Transliteration

kiṃ tvayānudarālīnabhuvanapravilokanam kriyate stimitākṣeṇa bhavatā viśvatomukha //

Translation

Why do You, O all-faced One, with steady, unblinking eyes, gaze upon the worlds as though they were contained within Your belly?

Word by Word

• kim: why

• tvayā: by you

• anudara-ālīna: as if lodged/contained within the belly

• bhuvana: the worlds

• pravilokanam: the act of looking upon, beholding

• kriyate: is done, is being performed

• stimitākṣeṇa: with steady/immobile eyes (unblinking gaze)

• bhavatā: by you, by Your Lordship

• viśvato-mukha: O one whose face is everywhere, the all-faced (universal) form

Speaker

• Vaivasvata Manu (addressing Lord Matsya / the Universal Form of Vishnu)

Entities Mentioned

• Vaivasvata Manu
• Lord Matsya
• Vishnu (Viśvatomukha/Viśvarūpa implication)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Matsya-Avatara
• Viśvarūpa
• Cosmic Vision
• Manu Dialogue

FAQs

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

It presents a cosmic-theological image: the Lord is so all-encompassing that the worlds appear as if contained within Him—an idea often emphasized during Pralaya contexts where creation is withdrawn into the divine source.

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

Indirectly, it models Manu’s reverent inquiry and attentiveness to divine order—an ideal for rulers and householders in the Matsya Purana: observe, question rightly, and align conduct with the cosmic governance embodied by the Lord.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vastu or ritual procedure is stated; the verse is primarily theological, using the ‘worlds within the Lord’ motif that later supports temple iconography concepts of the deity as the cosmos (a basis for meditative and iconographic framing).