Shloka 16

Matsya Purana — Yayāti–Aṣṭaka Dialogue: Seniority

Devanagari script

ततो दिव्यमजरं प्राप्य लोकं प्रजापतेर् लोकपतेर्दुरापम् तत्रावसं वर्षसहस्रमात्रं ततो लोकान्परमानभ्युपेतः //

Transliteration

tato divyamajaraṃ prāpya lokaṃ prajāpater lokapaterdurāpam tatrāvasaṃ varṣasahasramātraṃ tato lokānparamānabhyupetaḥ //

Translation

Thereafter, having attained the divine, ageless realm of Prajāpati—the world of the Lord of worlds, hard to reach—he dwelt there for a full thousand years; and then he went onward to the highest worlds.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter

• divyam: divine

• ajaram: ageless, undecaying

• prāpya: having attained

• lokam: world/realm

• prajāpateḥ: of Prajāpati (the progenitor, Brahmā)

• loka-pateḥ: of the Lord of worlds

• durāpam: difficult to attain

• tatra: there

• avasam: I dwelt/he dwelt

• varṣa-sahasra-mātram: only/just a thousand years

• tataḥ: thereafter

• lokān: worlds/realms

• paramān: supreme/highest

• abhyupetaḥ: approached, attained, went to.

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) conveying the phala (result) of spiritual merit in the Matsya Purana’s cosmological discourse

Entities Mentioned

• Prajāpati
• Loka-pati
• Higher Lokas

Tags

• Cosmology
• Lokas
• Karma-phala
• Merit
• Spiritual Attainment

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it highlights post-mortem ascent through cosmological realms, including the hard-to-reach world of Prajāpati, implying an ordered universe of lokas beyond earthly dissolution cycles.

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

By emphasizing the “fruit” of merit leading to higher worlds, it supports the Purāṇic ethic that disciplined dharma—charity, sacrifices, truthfulness, and righteous governance/householder duties—culminates in elevated realms rather than merely earthly reward.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or iconographic rule is stated; the ritual takeaway is the Purāṇic idea of graded spiritual destinations (lokas), typically linked elsewhere in the text to yajña, dāna, and observances that generate such merit.