Matsya Purana — The Strategy to Defeat Tāraka: Pārvatī’s Birth, Shloka 163

Devanagari script

स्त्रीणां हि परमं जन्म कुलानामुभयात्मनाम् इहामुत्र सुखायोक्तं सत्पतिप्राप्तिसंज्ञितम् //

Transliteration

strīṇāṃ hi paramaṃ janma kulānāmubhayātmanām ihāmutra sukhāyoktaṃ satpatiprāptisaṃjñitam //

Translation

Pour les femmes, l’état de naissance le plus élevé et le plus béni est décrit comme l’obtention d’un époux vertueux—obtention qui apporte le bonheur ici-bas et dans l’au-delà, et qui élève les deux lignées (celle de naissance et celle du mariage).

Word by Word

• strīṇām: of women

• hi: indeed

• paramam: highest, supreme

• janma: birth/state of being

• kulānām: of families/lineages

• ubhaya-ātmanām: belonging to both sides (two lineages), of a dual nature (natal and marital)

• iha: here (in this world)

• amutra: there (in the next world)

• sukhāya: for happiness/well-being

• uktam: said/declared

• sat-pati: a good/virtuous husband

• prāpti: attainment

• saṃjñitam: termed/called/known as

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Women (strī)
• Kula (lineage/family)
• Satpati (virtuous husband)

Tags

• Dharma
• Grihastha
• Stri-dharma
• Marriage
• Ethics

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it focuses on dharma in household life, stating that a virtuous marital union is a source of well-being in both this world and the next.

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

It frames social stability through gṛhastha-dharma: a righteous marriage (satpati-prāpti) is portrayed as beneficial to both lineages, implying that household virtue supports wider social order—an ideal a king is expected to protect and a householder to embody.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple-building rule is stated here; the verse is ethical and social, emphasizing marital virtue rather than ritual procedure or architectural prescription.