Matsya Purana — Devayānī–Śarmiṣṭhā Dialogue: Yayāti’s Transgression, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

*शुक्र उवाच नाहं मृषा वदाम्येतज् जरां प्राप्तो ऽसि भूमिप जरां त्व् एतां त्वमन्यस्मिन् संक्रामय यदीच्छसि //

Transliteration

*śukra uvāca nāhaṃ mṛṣā vadāmyetaj jarāṃ prāpto 'si bhūmipa jarāṃ tv etāṃ tvamanyasmin saṃkrāmaya yadīcchasi //

Translation

ശുക്രൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഈ കാര്യത്തിൽ ഞാൻ അസത്യം പറയുന്നില്ല. ഹേ ഭൂമിപാ! നീ ജരയെ പ്രാപിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു; ഇച്ഛയുണ്ടെങ്കിൽ ഈ ജര തന്നെ മറ്റൊരാളിലേക്കു സംക്രമിപ്പിക്ക.

Word by Word

• शुक्र उवाच (śukra uvāca): Śukra said

• नाहं (nāhaṃ): I do not

• मृषा (mṛṣā): falsely

• वदामि (vadāmi): speak

• एतत् (etat): this (matter)

• जराम् (jarām): old age

• प्राप्तः असि (prāptaḥ asi): you have attained/been overtaken by

• भूमिप (bhūmipa): O king, lord of the earth

• तु (tu): indeed

• एताम् (etām): this very

• त्वम् (tvam): you

• अन्यस्मिन् (anyasmin): into another (person)

• संक्रामय (saṃkrāmaya): transfer/shift

• यदि इच्छसि (yadi icchasi): if you wish

Speaker

• Shukra (Śukrācārya)

Entities Mentioned

• Shukra (Śukrācārya)
• Bhūmipa (the King)

Tags

• Rajadharma
• Ethics
• Dialogue
• Aging
• Karmic consequence

FAQs

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

Nothing directly—this verse is not about Pralaya; it focuses on a moral-didactic motif: the inevitability of old age and the (purported) power to shift its burden.

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

It frames kingship within self-governance: even a ruler is subject to aging, so righteous conduct and restraint are implied; seeking to evade old age hints at the ethical tension between duty and personal desire.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

None is stated in this verse; it belongs to a narrative-ethical dialogue rather than Matsya Purana Vastu Shastra tips or temple-building rules.