Shloka 17

Matsya Purana — Yayāti’s Forest-Renunciation

Devanagari script

एकपादस्थितश्चासीत् षण्मासान् अनिलाशनः पुण्यकीर्तिस्ततः स्वर्गं जगामावृत्य रोदसी //

Transliteration

ekapādasthitaścāsīt ṣaṇmāsān anilāśanaḥ puṇyakīrtistataḥ svargaṃ jagāmāvṛtya rodasī //

Translation

Standing on a single foot for six months, living only on air, Puṇyakīrti thereafter went to heaven; his holy renown spread so widely that it seemed to cover both earth and sky.

Word by Word

• eka-pāda-sthitaḥ: standing on one foot

• ca: and

• āsīt: he was/remained

• ṣaṇ-māsān: for six months

• anila-āśanaḥ: one who takes air as food (subsists on breath)

• puṇya-kīrtiḥ: Puṇyakīrti (the meritorious-famed one, a proper name)

• tataḥ: then/thereafter

• svargam: to heaven

• jagāma: went

• āvṛtya: having covered/pervaded

• rodasī: the pair (earth and heaven), i.e., earth-and-sky

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) recounting a dharmic exemplum within the Matsya Purana’s discourse

Entities Mentioned

• Puṇyakīrti
• Svarga
• Rodasī

Tags

• Tapas
• Vrata
• Svarga
• Dharma
• Merit

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya; it highlights the Purāṇic principle that intense austerity (tapas) generates merit (puṇya) leading to heavenly attainment (svarga).

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

It presents self-control and disciplined restraint as a dharmic ideal; for kings and householders, the takeaway is moderated tapas—vows, fasting, and regulated living—performed without abandoning one’s rightful duties.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or iconographic rule is stated; the ritual significance is the ascetic practice itself—ekapāda-sthiti and anilāśana—given as an exemplar of vow-based austerity believed to yield exalted spiritual results.