Shloka 6

Matsya Purana — Yayāti’s Forest-Renunciation

Devanagari script

*शतानीक उवाच कर्मणा केन स दिवं पुनः प्राप्तो महीपतिः कथमिन्द्रेण भगवन् पातितो मेदिनीतले //

Transliteration

*śatānīka uvāca karmaṇā kena sa divaṃ punaḥ prāpto mahīpatiḥ kathamindreṇa bhagavan pātito medinītale //

Translation

Śatānīka said: “By what deed did that king again attain heaven? And how, O Blessed one, was he struck down by Indra onto the surface of the earth?”

Word by Word

• शतानीक (śatānīka): Śatānīka

• उवाच (uvāca): said

• कर्मणा (karmaṇā): by what action/deed

• केन (kena): by which

• स (sa): he/that

• दिवं (divaṃ): heaven

• पुनः (punaḥ): again

• प्राप्तो (prāpto): attained

• महीपतिः (mahīpatiḥ): king, lord of the earth

• कथम् (katham): how

• इन्द्रेण (indreṇa): by Indra

• भगवन् (bhagavan): O Blessed one / venerable lord

• पातितः (pātitaḥ): caused to fall, cast down

• मेदिनीतले (medinītale): on the earth’s surface/ground

Speaker

• Śatānīka

Entities Mentioned

• Śatānīka
• Indra
• Mahīpati (the unnamed king)

Tags

• Rajadharma
• Karma
• Heaven
• Indra
• Royal narratives

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya; it focuses on karmic causality and a royal figure’s fall from heaven and later re-attainment, implying moral order rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

It frames kingship within karma and accountability: even a ruler may fall due to specific deeds and rise again through merit, reinforcing the Matsya Purana’s emphasis that dharmic conduct sustains status in this world and the next.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vastu, temple-building, or ritual procedure is mentioned in this verse; it is a narrative question about Indra’s action and the king’s karmic qualification for heaven.