Shloka 15

Matsya Purana — Yuga Durations

Devanagari script

यत्राधर्मश्चतुष्पादः स्याद्धर्मः पादविग्रहः कामिनस्तपसा हीना जायन्ते तत्र मानवाः //

Transliteration

yatrādharmaścatuṣpādaḥ syāddharmaḥ pādavigrahaḥ kāminastapasā hīnā jāyante tatra mānavāḥ //

Translation

Where unrighteousness stands firm on all four legs, and righteousness is left crippled—reduced to a single, broken footing—there human beings are born driven by desire, and devoid of austerity and self-discipline.

Word by Word

• yatra: where

• adharmaḥ: unrighteousness, lawlessness

• catuṣpādaḥ: four-footed, complete in strength

• syāt: becomes/is

• dharmaḥ: righteousness, sacred order

• pāda-vigrahaḥ: with the foot broken/disjointed, crippled in support

• kāminaḥ: lustful, desire-driven people

• tapasā: by tapas (austerity, restraint, spiritual discipline)

• hīnāḥ: lacking, deprived

• jāyante: are born, come into being

• tatra: there

• mānavāḥ: human beings

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (teaching Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Dharma
• Adharma
• Manu (implied listener)

Tags

• Dharma
• Adharma
• Kali-yuga
• Tapas
• Ethics

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it describes a moral decline where Adharma becomes dominant and Dharma becomes weakened—an ethical “end-time” symptom rather than a physical cosmic dissolution.

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

It warns that when society is ruled by desire and lacks tapas (restraint), Dharma collapses; a king must uphold discipline, justice, and moral education, and a householder must cultivate self-control to prevent Adharma from becoming socially “four-footed” and powerful.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vastu or iconographic rule is stated; the ritual takeaway is the centrality of tapas—regular discipline, vows, and restraint—as the inner support that keeps Dharma standing.