Shloka 9

Matsya Purana — Yayati and Indra: Counsel on Forbearance and Right Speech

Devanagari script

अरुन्तुदं पुरुषं तीव्रवाचं वाक्कण्टकैर् वितुदन्तं मनुष्यान् विद्याद् अलक्ष्मीकतमं जनानां मुखे निबद्धं निरृतिं वहन्तम् //

Transliteration

aruntudaṃ puruṣaṃ tīvravācaṃ vākkaṇṭakair vitudantaṃ manuṣyān vidyād alakṣmīkatamaṃ janānāṃ mukhe nibaddhaṃ nirṛtiṃ vahantam //

Translation

Know that man—who is harsh of speech, who pierces people with thorn-like words—as the most inauspicious among men, bearing ruin (Nirṛti) bound upon his very mouth.

Word by Word

• aruntudam: one who pricks/torments

• puruṣam: a man/person

• tīvravācām: harsh-speaking, sharp-tongued

• vāk-kaṇṭakaiḥ: with word-thorns, thorn-like speech

• vitudantam: piercing, wounding

• manuṣyān: human beings/people

• vidyāt: one should know/recognize

• alakṣmīkatamam: most unlucky/most inauspicious (devoid of Śrī)

• janānām: among people/of men

• mukhe: on the mouth/in the mouth

• nibaddham: bound, fastened

• nirṛtim: Nirṛti (ruin, calamity, destructive misfortune)

• vahantam: carrying, bearing.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (teaching Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Nirṛti

Tags

• Dharma
• Ethics
• Speech
• Alakshmi
• Sadachara

FAQs

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

It does not describe cosmic Pralaya; it uses Nirṛti as a moral force of ruin—misfortune that follows harmful speech—showing how ethical decay brings destruction into human life.

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

It frames harsh, wounding speech as a prime cause of inauspiciousness; for kings and householders, disciplined, non-injurious speech is a core dharma because words can protect society or destabilize it.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or ritual procedure is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is ethical—speech itself is treated as a power that can invite or repel misfortune.