Matsya Purana — Brahmā’s Four Faces, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

तत् सर्वं नाशम् अगमत् स्वसुतोपगमेच्छया तेनोर्ध्वं वक्त्रम् अभवत् पञ्चमं तस्य धीमतः आविर्भवज्जटाभिश् च तद् वक्त्रं चावृणोत् प्रभुः //

Transliteration

tat sarvaṃ nāśam agamat svasutopagamecchayā tenordhvaṃ vaktram abhavat pañcamaṃ tasya dhīmataḥ āvirbhavajjaṭābhiś ca tad vaktraṃ cāvṛṇot prabhuḥ //

Translation

സ്വന്തം പുത്രനെ സമീപിക്കണമെന്ന ആഗ്രഹം മൂലം അതെല്ലാം നാശത്തിലായി. പിന്നെ ആ ധീമാന്റെ മുകളിൽ അഞ്ചാമത്തെ മുഖം പ്രത്യക്ഷപ്പെട്ടു; പ്രഭു പെട്ടെന്ന് ഉദ്ഭവിച്ച ജടകളാൽ ആ മുഖം മറച്ചു।

Word by Word

• tat sarvam: all that

• nāśam agamat: went to destruction/ruin

• sva-suta-upagama-icchayā: due to the desire to approach/seek union with his own son

• tena: thereupon/therefore

• ūrdhvam: above/upward

• vaktram: face/mouth

• abhavat: arose/appeared

• pañcamam: the fifth

• tasya: of him

• dhīmataḥ: of the wise one

• āvirbhavat: manifested/appeared

• jaṭābhiḥ: with matted locks (jaṭā)

• ca: and

• tat vaktram: that face

• ca āvṛṇot: also covered/veiled

• prabhuḥ: the Lord (a sovereign divine agent).

Speaker

• Suta (narratorial voice) describing a theophanic consequence; doctrinally aligned with the Matsya Purana’s Vishnu-centric framing

Entities Mentioned

• Prabhu (Lord/Vishnu as supreme agent)
• Pañcavaktra (five-faced form motif)
• Jaṭā (matted locks, ascetic iconography)

Tags

• Pralaya
• Theophany
• Iconography
• Moral causality
• Puranic narrative

FAQs

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

It frames destruction as a consequence of adharma-like transgression and shows divine intervention shaping events, a typical Purāṇic way of linking cosmic disorder with moral disorder.

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

By portraying ruin arising from an improper desire, it reinforces the ethical ideal of self-restraint (dama) and adherence to dharma—core expectations for both rulers and householders in Purāṇic instruction.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual procedure is stated; the verse is primarily iconographic and symbolic, using motifs like a ‘fifth face’ and ‘jaṭā’ that later inform deity-form descriptions (pratimā-lakṣaṇa) in Purāṇic traditions.