Shloka 27

Matsya Purana — Vishnu’s Names Across Yugas and the Gods’ Refuge During the Tārakāmaya War

Devanagari script

नानविमानविटपं तोयदाम्बुमधुस्रवम् विद्याहंकारसाराढ्यं महाभूतप्ररोहणम् //

Transliteration

nānavimānaviṭapaṃ toyadāmbumadhusravam vidyāhaṃkārasārāḍhyaṃ mahābhūtaprarohaṇam //

Translation

It has many aerial mansions as its branches; its clouds are water, and it drips honey. Enriched with knowledge and the sense of ‘I’, it sprouts forth from the Great Elements.

Word by Word

• nānā: many, various

• vimāna: aerial mansion, celestial palace

• viṭapaṃ: having branches, a branchy form (as a tree)

• toyada: cloud (lit. ‘water-giver’)

• ambu: water

• madhu: honey, sweetness, nectar

• sravam: flowing, dripping

• vidyā: knowledge, learning

• ahaṃkāra: ego-principle, sense of ‘I’

• sāra: essence, core

• āḍhyaṃ: rich in, endowed with

• mahābhūta: the five great elements (earth, water, fire, air, space)

• prarohaṇam: sprouting, growing forth, arising.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Mahabhutas (Five Great Elements)
• Ahamkara (Ego-principle)

Tags

• Vastu Shastra
• Cosmology
• Prasada-Lakshana
• Symbolism
• Elements

FAQs

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

It presents a creation-oriented cosmology: forms ‘sprout’ from the mahābhūtas, with ahaṃkāra and vidyā as inner constituents—showing how manifested structure arises from elemental and subtle principles.

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

By framing the built or ordered world as rooted in elements and disciplined by knowledge, it supports the ideal that rulers and householders should build, plan, and govern in harmony with cosmic order rather than mere ego.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The imagery aligns temple/structure symbolism with a ‘cosmic tree’ model—vimānas as branching superstructures and elemental foundations—useful for interpreting Matsya Purana’s Vastuvidya as architecture that embodies cosmology.