Shloka 51

Matsya Purana — War of Devas and Asuras; Birth of Aurva Fire; Countering Tamasī Māyā through ...

Devanagari script

उत्पन्नमात्रश्चोवाच पितरं क्षीणया गिरा क्षुधा मे बाधते तात जगद्भक्ष्ये त्यजस्व माम् //

Transliteration

utpannamātraścovāca pitaraṃ kṣīṇayā girā kṣudhā me bādhate tāta jagadbhakṣye tyajasva mām //

Translation

As soon as he was born, he spoke to his father in a faint voice: “Dear father, hunger torments me. I will devour the world—leave me (cast me away)!”

Word by Word

• utpannamātraḥ: just-born, newly arisen

• ca: and

• uvāca: said, spoke

• pitaraṃ: to (his) father

• kṣīṇayā: weakened, feeble

• girā: with voice/speech

• kṣudhā: hunger

• me: my

• bādhate: afflicts, troubles

• tāta: dear father

• jagat-bhakṣye: I shall eat/devour the world

• tyajasva: abandon, leave, cast away

• mām: me

Speaker

• The newly-born being/child (a voracious entity in the narrative) addressing his father

Entities Mentioned

• Father (pitaram)
• Jagat (the world)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Great Flood narrative
• Cosmic hunger
• Matsya–Manu context
• Puranic myth

FAQs

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

It uses the motif of overwhelming hunger—“I will devour the world”—to signal a destructive, dissolution-like force that threatens cosmic order, a common Purāṇic way to foreshadow pralaya or world-endangerment.

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

By portraying unchecked appetite as world-threatening, it implicitly supports the Matsya Purana’s ethical emphasis on restraint (dama) and protection of the world: rulers and householders must govern desire and prevent harm to society.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vastu or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; its significance is mythic-ethical—warning against uncontrolled consumption—rather than temple architecture or rite.