Shloka 25

Matsya Purana — Uma’s Austerities and the Slaying of the Deceiver Asura ĀḌi

Devanagari script

कृत्वा मायां ततो रूपम् अप्रतर्क्यमनोहरम् सर्वावयवसम्पूर्णं सर्वाभिज्ञानसंवृतम् //

Transliteration

kṛtvā māyāṃ tato rūpam apratarkyamanoharam sarvāvayavasampūrṇaṃ sarvābhijñānasaṃvṛtam //

Translation

Then, employing māyā (mystic illusion), he assumed a form—bewitching yet beyond the reach of reasoning—complete in every limb, and endowed with all marks of omniscience.

Word by Word

• कृत्वा (kṛtvā): having done/after employing

• मायाम् (māyām): divine māyā, wondrous power/illusion

• ततः (tataḥ): then/thereupon

• रूपम् (rūpam): form/manifest shape

• अप्रतर्क्य (apratarkya): not graspable by logic, beyond reasoning

• मनोहरम् (manoharam): captivating, delightful to the mind

• सर्व (sarva): all/every

• अवयव (avayava): limb, part of the body

• सम्पूर्णम् (sampūrṇam): complete, perfect

• सर्वाभिज्ञान (sarvābhijñāna): all-knowingness, omniscience/complete recognition

• संवृतम् (saṃvṛtam): covered with, endowed with, furnished/encircled by.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu), describing/indicating his manifested form through māyā (within the Matsya–Manu discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• Māyā
• Rūpa (divine form)
• Omniscience (sarvābhijñāna)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Matsya Avatara
• Divine Maya
• Iconography
• Theophany

FAQs

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

It emphasizes that during cosmic upheaval the divine can manifest an inconceivable yet compassionate form through māyā—suggesting providential intervention rather than mere catastrophe.

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

By portraying a form “complete” and “all-knowing,” it sets an ethical ideal: rulers and householders should act with wholeness (integrity) and informed discernment, aligning conduct with dharma even when events exceed ordinary reasoning.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

While not a direct Vāstu rule, the verse uses iconographic language—‘complete in every limb’—that parallels pratima-lakṣaṇa principles used in ritual worship and temple icon standards (a deity-image should be sarvāvayava-sampūrṇa).