Shloka 14

Matsya Purana — Yayāti–Aṣṭaka Dialogue: Seniority

Devanagari script

*ययातिरुवाच राजाहमासं त्व् इह सार्वभौमस् ततो लोकान्महतश् चाजर्यं वै तत्रावसं वर्षसहस्रमात्रं ततो लोकान्परमानभ्युपेतः //

Transliteration

*yayātiruvāca rājāhamāsaṃ tv iha sārvabhaumas tato lokānmahataś cājaryaṃ vai tatrāvasaṃ varṣasahasramātraṃ tato lokānparamānabhyupetaḥ //

Translation

Yayāti said: “I was a universal sovereign king here. Thereafter I attained the great worlds, and indeed an undecaying state there; I dwelt there for only a thousand years. Then I reached the highest worlds.”

Word by Word

• yayātiḥ uvāca: Yayāti said

• rājā: king

• aham: I

• āsam: was

• tu: indeed

• iha: here (in this world)

• sārvabhaumaḥ: universal sovereign/emperor

• tataḥ: thereafter

• lokān: worlds/realms

• mahataḥ: great/exalted

• ca: and

• ajarīyam: non-decaying state/undiminishing condition

• vai: indeed

• tatra: there

• avasaṃ: I dwelt/remained

• varṣa-sahasra-mātram: only a thousand years

• tataḥ: then/thereafter

• lokān paramān: the highest/supreme worlds

• abhyupetaḥ: having reached/attained.

Speaker

• King Yayati

Entities Mentioned

• Yayati

Tags

• Dynasties
• Genealogies
• Kingship
• Afterlife realms
• Puranic cosmology

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it focuses on Yayāti’s post-royal progression through increasingly higher lokas, reflecting Puranic cosmology rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

By highlighting the status of a sārvabhauma (universal sovereign) and the subsequent attainment of higher realms, it implies that righteous kingship and merit-bearing rule can lead to exalted lokas—yet even such attainments are time-bounded (“only a thousand years”), encouraging dharmic action without attachment.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vastu, temple-building, or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; its significance is cosmological and ethical—depicting graded realms (lokas) and the impermanence of heavenly enjoyments.