Shloka 8

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

Devanagari script

व्यक्तिं नीत्वा त्वं वपुः स्वं महिम्ना तस्मादण्डात् साभिधानादचिन्त्यः द्यावापृथ्व्योर् ऊर्ध्वखण्डावराम्यां ह्य् अण्डादस्मात्त्वं विभागं करोषि //

Transliteration

vyaktiṃ nītvā tvaṃ vapuḥ svaṃ mahimnā tasmādaṇḍāt sābhidhānādacintyaḥ dyāvāpṛthvyor ūrdhvakhaṇḍāvarāmyāṃ hy aṇḍādasmāttvaṃ vibhāgaṃ karoṣi //

Translation

O inconceivable Lord, by Your own majesty You bring Your form into manifest expression; and from this named Cosmic Egg You make the division—setting heaven as the upper portion and earth as the lower.

Word by Word

• vyaktim: into manifestation, into distinct expression

• nītvā: having led/brought

• tvam: You

• vapuḥ: (Your) form/body

• svam: Your own

• mahimnā: by majesty/power

• tasmāt: from that

• aṇḍāt: from the (cosmic) egg

• sābhidhānāt: from that which is ‘with name/identified’ (the named Brahmāṇḍa)

• acintyaḥ: inconceivable (beyond thought)

• dyāvāpṛthvyoḥ: of heaven and earth

• ūrdhva-khaṇḍa: the upper portion/segment

• avarā: the lower (portion)

• hy: indeed

• asmāt: from this

• tvam: You

• vibhāgam: division/separation

• karoṣi: You make/do

Speaker

• Vaivasvata Manu (addressing Lord Matsya/Vishnu)

Entities Mentioned

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu)
• Brahmāṇḍa (Cosmic Egg)
• Dyau (Heaven)
• Pṛthvī (Earth)

Tags

• Creation
• Cosmogony
• Brahmanda
• Sarga
• Vishnu

FAQs

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

It describes creation (sarga), not dissolution: the Lord manifests His form/power and divides the Brahmāṇḍa into the upper realm (heaven) and lower realm (earth), establishing cosmic order after primordial unity.

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

By portraying the Lord as the one who ‘divides and orders’ the cosmos, it implicitly models rājadharma and gṛhastha-dharma: uphold proper boundaries, roles, and harmony (vibhāga) in society, mirroring cosmic arrangement.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

While not a Vāstu-rule verse, it provides a cosmological template used in ritual and temple symbolism—upper/lower zoning (ūrdhva/avara) and ordered division (vibhāga) underpin sacred-space planning and altar/temple vertical hierarchy.