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

裂け開いた宇宙卵から生まれたがゆえに、彼は「マールタンḍa（Mārtaṇḍa）」と記憶される。その大霊の形相はラジャス（創造し活動させる性質）より成り、かの吉祥なる神は四面となって、諸世界の祖父たるブラフマー（Brahmā）となった。

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.