Shloka 12

Matsya Purana — Yayāti’s Rule

Devanagari script

यथासुखं यथोत्साहं यथाकाममरिंदम सेविता विषयाः पुत्र यौवनेन मया तव //

Transliteration

yathāsukhaṃ yathotsāhaṃ yathākāmamariṃdama sevitā viṣayāḥ putra yauvanena mayā tava //

Translation

O subduer of foes, my son—during youth I indulged in the sense-enjoyments as I pleased: according to comfort, according to my vigor, and according to my desire.

Word by Word

• yathā-sukham: as is comfortable/at ease

• yathā-utsāham: according to one’s energy/enthusiasm

• yathā-kāmam: as desired/at will

• ariṃdama: subduer of enemies (address to the son)

• sevitāḥ: were enjoyed/indulged in

• viṣayāḥ: sense-objects, worldly pleasures

• putra: O son

• yauvanena: in/through youth, during youth

• mayā: by me

• tava: to you/for you (in address, ‘your’ son)

Speaker

• A father/elder addressing his son (didactic narrative voice within Matsya Purana’s counsel on life-stages)

Tags

• Grihastha Dharma
• Life Stages
• Sense Control
• Ethics
• Kingship Advice

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya; it focuses on human conduct—specifically how youth tends to pursue pleasures according to comfort, energy, and desire.

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

It frames youthful enjoyment as a lived phase, implying later responsibility: a king or householder should recognize desire’s force in youth yet mature toward restraint and duty-driven living as life progresses.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vastu, temple-building, iconography, or ritual procedure is mentioned; the verse is moral-psychological, describing indulgence in sense-objects during youth.