Matsya Purana — The Strategy to Defeat Tāraka: Pārvatī’s Birth, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

त्वं महोपायसंदोहा नीतिर्नयविसर्पिणाम् परिच्छित्तिस्त्वमर्थानां त्वमीहा प्राणिहृच्छया //

Transliteration

tvaṃ mahopāyasaṃdohā nītirnayavisarpiṇām paricchittistvamarthānāṃ tvamīhā prāṇihṛcchayā //

Translation

Tu es l’immense trésor des grands moyens; tu es la politique même pour ceux qui progressent par une conduite avisée. Tu es le discernement net des objectifs, et tu es l’effort qui naît du désir au cœur des êtres vivants.

Word by Word

• tvam: you

• mahā-upāya-saṃdohaḥ: a great collection/treasury of means (expedients)

• nītiḥ: policy, right conduct, ethical statecraft

• naya-visarpiṇām: of those who proceed/advance by naya (prudent guidance, strategy)

• paricchittiḥ: determination, clear ascertainment, discrimination

• arthānām: of aims/objects (also artha: purpose, wealth, advantage)

• īhā: effort, endeavor, purposeful striving

• prāṇi-hṛcchayā: by/through the heart’s desire of living beings (prāṇin = creature

Speaker

• Likely Vaivasvata Manu (or a royal interlocutor) addressing Lord Matsya/Vishnu as the personification of Nīti and Upāya within a Rajadharma discourse.

Entities Mentioned

• Nīti
• Naya
• Artha
• Upāya

Tags

• Rajadharma
• Niti
• Statecraft
• Artha
• Ethical Governance

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it praises the divine principle behind nīti (right policy) and upāya (effective means), emphasizing discernment and purposeful effort rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

It frames governance and household life as requiring (1) upāya—skillful practical measures, (2) nīti—ethical policy, and (3) paricchitti—clear discrimination of goals (artha). A king especially must unite moral policy with effective strategy and disciplined effort.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual procedure is stated. Indirectly, it supports the Vāstu-śāstra spirit of paricchitti (precise determination) and īhā (methodical execution) when planning temples, towns, or rites.