Shloka 21

Matsya Purana — Yayāti in Amarāvatī-like Splendor: Devayānī Installed

Devanagari script

*शर्मिष्ठोवाच अधर्मात्त्राहि मां राजन् धर्मं च प्रतिपादय त्वत्तो ऽपत्यवती लोके चरेयं धर्ममुत्तमम् //

Transliteration

*śarmiṣṭhovāca adharmāttrāhi māṃ rājan dharmaṃ ca pratipādaya tvatto 'patyavatī loke careyaṃ dharmamuttamam //

Translation

Śarmiṣṭhā said: “O King, rescue me from adharma and establish me in dharma. Let me become a mother through you, so that I may live in this world following the highest dharma.”

Word by Word

• śarmiṣṭhā uvāca: Śarmiṣṭhā said

• adharmāt: from adharma/unrighteousness

• trāhi: protect/rescue (me)

• mām: me

• rājan: O king

• dharmam: dharma/righteous conduct

• ca: and

• pratipādaya: establish/restore/instruct (me in)

• tvattaḥ: from you/through you

• apatyavatī: endowed with offspring/a mother

• loke: in the world

• careyam: may I live/move about/lead my life

• dharmam uttamam: the highest dharma/supreme righteousness.

Speaker

• Śarmiṣṭhā

Entities Mentioned

• Śarmiṣṭhā
• Rājan (the King—contextually Yayāti)

Tags

• Dynasties
• Dharma
• Royal Ethics
• Progeny
• Yayati Episode

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya or cosmology; it focuses on personal dharma within a royal-dynastic narrative, emphasizing rescue from adharma and the legitimacy of life guided by righteous conduct.

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

It frames the king as a moral agent responsible for protecting others from adharma and for upholding dharma in relationships and lineage. It also reflects the householder ideal where progeny and righteous living are linked to social order and ethical conduct.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu, temple-building, or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; its significance is ethical—seeking dharma, protection, and socially sanctioned progeny within the royal narrative.