Matsya Purana — Intermediate Dissolution, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

मृते ऽण्डे जायते यस्मान् मार्तण्डस् तेन संस्मृतः रजोगुणमयं यत्तद् रूपं तस्य महात्मनः चतुर्मुखः स भगवान् अभूल् लोकपितामहः //

Transliteration

mṛte 'ṇḍe jāyate yasmān mārtaṇḍas tena saṃsmṛtaḥ rajoguṇamayaṃ yattad rūpaṃ tasya mahātmanaḥ caturmukhaḥ sa bhagavān abhūl lokapitāmahaḥ //

Translation

Parce qu’il naît de l’œuf cosmique ouvert, on se souvient de lui sous le nom de Mārtaṇḍa. La forme de ce grand être est faite de rajas (la qualité créatrice et activatrice) ; et ce Bienheureux devint à quatre visages — le Grand-Père des mondes (Brahmā).

Word by Word

• मृते (mṛte): when broken/opened/ruptured

• अण्डे (aṇḍe): in the egg (cosmic egg)

• जायते (jāyate): is born/arises

• यस्मात् (yasmāt): because/from which reason

• मार्तण्डः (mārtaṇḍaḥ): Mārtaṇḍa (one born from the broken egg

• तेन (tena): therefore/by that

• संस्मृतः (saṃsmṛtaḥ): is remembered/called

• रजोगुणमयम् (rajoguṇamayam): made of the guṇa rajas

• यत् (yat): which/that

• तत् (tat): that indeed

• रूपम् (rūpam): form

• तस्य (tasya): of him

• महात्मनः (mahātmanaḥ): of the great-souled one

• चतुर्मुखः (caturmukhaḥ): four-faced

• सः (saḥ): he

• भगवान् (bhagavān): the blessed/divine one

• अभूत् (abhūt): became

• लोकपितामहः (lokapitāmahaḥ): the grandsire of the worlds (Brahmā).

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating the Matsya Purana’s cosmogony in the dialogue framework; commonly framed as Matsya teaching Manu overall)

Entities Mentioned

• Hiraṇyagarbha (Cosmic Egg)
• Brahmā (Lokapitāmaha)
• Mārtaṇḍa
• Rajas (Guṇa)

Tags

• Creation
• Cosmogony
• Guṇa theory
• Brahmā
• Hiraṇyagarbha

FAQs

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

It describes creation: from the cosmic egg (Hiraṇyagarbha) arises the four-faced creator, Brahmā, whose nature is linked with rajas—the activating principle that drives sarga (emanation).

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

Indirectly, it grounds dharma in cosmic order: Brahmā, born of rajas, represents structured creation—mirrored in a king’s duty to organize society and a householder’s duty to sustain lineage, rites, and productive life.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu rule appears, but the verse supplies a ritual-cosmological basis often used in temple and altar symbolism: the cosmic egg and Brahmā’s four faces map to ordered space and directional orientation in sacred design.