Shloka 31
Matsya Purana — Yadu Lineage
आदिदेवस्तथा विष्णुर् एभिस्तु सह दैवतः किमर्थं संघशो भूताः स्मृताः सम्भूतयः कति //
ādidevastathā viṣṇur ebhistu saha daivataḥ kimarthaṃ saṃghaśo bhūtāḥ smṛtāḥ sambhūtayaḥ kati //
Along with these deities, the Primeval God—Viṣṇu—is also spoken of. For what purpose are beings remembered as arising in groups, and how many such collective manifestations (sambhūti) are there?
FAQs
It frames a cosmological inquiry: beings are described as arising “in groups” (saṃghaśaḥ), prompting a count and purpose of such collective manifestations—an approach used in Purāṇic creation accounts (and, by extension, their re-absorption in dissolution).
Indirectly, it models the dharmic method of inquiry: Manu asks for clear classification, purpose, and number—principles a king or householder applies in governance and ritual life by seeking ordered knowledge rather than confusion.
No direct Vāstu or temple-rule detail appears in this verse; its ritual value is methodological—establishing correct enumeration and hierarchy of deities/beings, which supports accurate mantra/daivata assignment in rites.