Matsya Purana — Manvantaras, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

विषयो विषयित्वं च तदा ह्यर्थपदात्मकौ कालेन प्रापणीयेन भेदाश्च कारणात्मकाः //

Transliteration

viṣayo viṣayitvaṃ ca tadā hyarthapadātmakau kālena prāpaṇīyena bhedāśca kāraṇātmakāḥ //

Translation

Pada tahap itu, objek dan keadaan sebagai objek tersusun dari ‘makna’ (artha) dan ‘sebutan’ (pada). Dan pembedaan yang timbul melalui waktu—sebagai faktor yang menghadirkan pencapaian—juga bersifat sebagai sebab-sebab.

Word by Word

• viṣayaḥ: object (sense-object, field of experience)

• viṣayitvam: object-ness, the condition of being an object

• tadā: then, at that stage

• hi: indeed

• artha: thing, meaning, referent

• pada: word, term, designation

• ātmakau: consisting in, having the nature of

• kālena: by/through time

• prāpaṇīyena: that which causes reaching/attainment, the bringing-to-attainment factor

• bhedāḥ: distinctions, differentiations

• ca: and

• kāraṇa-ātmakāḥ: causal in nature, having the character of causes

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (teaching Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Matsya
• Manu
• Kāla (Time)

Tags

• Cosmology
• Sarga
• Pralaya
• Tattva
• Causation

FAQs

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

It frames worldly differentiation (bheda) as a time-driven causal process: distinctions arise through kāla and function as causes within the chain that supports manifestation (and, by implication, can be withdrawn in dissolution when distinctions subside).

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

By treating objects and their ‘object-ness’ as constructs shaped by time and causation, it encourages detachment and discernment—useful for rulers and householders to act ethically without being bound by transient distinctions of gain, status, and possessions.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; the takeaway is conceptual: rituals and temple-works operate in time and rely on causal sequences (materials, names, measures), reflecting the verse’s emphasis on kāla and causation in producing distinctions.