Shloka 158

Matsya Purana — Yadu Lineage

Devanagari script

त्वष्ट्रे धात्रे तथा कर्त्रे चक्षुःश्रोत्रमयाय च भूतभव्यभवेशाय तुभ्यं कर्मात्मने नमः //

Transliteration

tvaṣṭre dhātre tathā kartre cakṣuḥśrotramayāya ca bhūtabhavyabhaveśāya tubhyaṃ karmātmane namaḥ //

Translation

Salutations to You—the Fashioner (Tvaṣṭṛ), the Sustainer (Dhātṛ), and the Doer (Kartṛ); to You who are constituted as sight and hearing; to the Lord of what has been, what will be, and what is coming into being—salutations to You whose very essence is action (karma).

Word by Word

त्वष्ट्रे (tvaṣṭre)to the Fashioner/Artisan of creation

धात्रे (dhātre)to the Sustainer/Supporter/Ordainer

तथा (tathā)and likewise

कर्त्रे (kartre)to the Doer/Maker/Agent

चक्षुः (cakṣuḥ)the eye/sight

श्रोत्र (śrotra)the ear/hearing

मयाय (mayāya)consisting of/embodied as

च (ca)and

भूत (bhūta)the past/what has been

भविष्य (bhaviṣya)the future/what will be

भव (bhava)becoming/existence (the present process of arising)

ईशाय (īśāya)to the Lord/Ruler

तुभ्यं (tubhyaṃ)to You

कर्मात्मने (karmātmane)whose nature/essence is action, the indwelling Self of deeds

नमः (namaḥ)salutation/obeisance.

Speaker

Vaivasvata Manu (addressing Lord Matsya/Vishnu in praise)

Entities Mentioned

TvaṣṭṛDhātṛKartṛLord Matsya (Vishnu)

FAQs

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

It frames the deity as the supreme agent behind all temporal states—past, future, and ongoing becoming—implying that creation and dissolution are functions of the same Lord who fashions, sustains, and acts.

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

By calling the Lord “karmātmā” (the very essence of action), the verse supports the Matsya Purana’s ethic that righteous action (dharma-informed karma) is sacred and should be performed as devotion—especially by rulers and householders responsible for order and welfare.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it functions as a stuti suitable for invocation (āhvāna) before rites; conceptually, describing the deity as Tvaṣṭṛ (divine artisan) aligns with later Vastu/Pratimā thought where craftsmanship and construction are treated as sacred acts under a cosmic “maker.”