Matsya Purana — Devayānī and Śarmiṣṭhā’s Quarrel, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

आत्मदोषैर् नियच्छन्ति सर्वे दुःखसुखे जनाः मन्ये दुश्चरितं ते ऽस्ति तस्येयं निष्कृतिः कृता //

Transliteration

ātmadoṣair niyacchanti sarve duḥkhasukhe janāḥ manye duścaritaṃ te 'sti tasyeyaṃ niṣkṛtiḥ kṛtā //

Translation

Todos los seres quedan atados—tanto al dolor como al gozo—por sus propias faltas. Pienso que en ti hubo alguna mala conducta pasada; por ello se ha emprendido esta expiación.

Word by Word

• आत्मदोषैः (ātmadoṣaiḥ): by one’s own faults

• नियच्छन्ति (niyacchanti): they restrain/bind, they govern

• सर्वे (sarve): all

• दुःखसुखे (duḥkha-sukhe): in suffering and happiness

• जनाः (janāḥ): people

• मन्ये (manye): I think, I consider

• दुश्चरितम् (duścaritam): bad conduct, wrongdoing

• ते (te): your

• अस्ति (asti): exists, is

• तस्य (tasya): of that

• इयम् (iyam): this

• निष्कृतिः (niṣkṛtiḥ): expiation, atonement

• कृता (kṛtā): done, performed

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (instructing Vaivasvata Manu in a didactic, ethical register)

Tags

• Dharma
• Karma
• Niti
• Expiation
• Self-responsibility

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it teaches a moral causality: joy and sorrow arise from one’s own faults (ātma-doṣa) and can be addressed through expiation (niṣkṛti).

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

It frames governance and household life around accountability: a king/householder should recognize that consequences follow misconduct, and must adopt corrective disciplines—confession, restraint, charity, vows, or prescribed penances—rather than blaming fate alone.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or iconographic rule is stated; the ritual takeaway is the principle of niṣkṛti—undertaking prescribed atonement rites or disciplines to neutralize the effects of wrongful conduct.