Matsya Purana — Dynastic Genealogies: Paurava–Anu Lines, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

ऊर्ध्वरेतास्ततो ऽसौ वै वसते भ्रातुराश्रमे स धर्मान्सौरभेयांस्तु वृषभाच्छ्रुतवांस्ततः //

Transliteration

ūrdhvaretāstato 'sau vai vasate bhrāturāśrame sa dharmānsaurabheyāṃstu vṛṣabhācchrutavāṃstataḥ //

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം ഊർധ്വരേതസ്സായ ബ്രഹ്മചാരിയായി അവൻ സഹോദരന്റെ ആശ്രമത്തിൽ വസിച്ചു; വൃഷഭനിൽ നിന്ന് സൗരഭേയപരമ്പരയിലെ ധർമ്മങ്ങൾ ശ്രവിച്ച് പഠിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• ūrdhva-retāḥ: one practicing strict continence/celibacy (lit. ‘with semen directed upward’)

• tataḥ: thereafter

• asau: he (that person)

• vai: indeed

• vasate: dwells/lives

• bhrātuḥ: of (his) brother

• āśrame: in the hermitage/āśrama

• saḥ: he

• dharmān: dharmic rules/duties

• saurabheyān: relating to Saurabheya (a named dharma-tradition/lineage)

• tu: and/indeed

• vṛṣabhāt: from Vṛṣabha (a teacher/authority figure)

• śrutavān: heard/learned (having listened)

• tataḥ: then/thereupon

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) summarizing the episode in the Matsya Purana’s narrative flow

Entities Mentioned

• Vṛṣabha
• Saurabheya (dharma tradition)
• Brother (bhrātṛ)
• Āśrama (hermitage)

Tags

• Dharma
• Brahmacarya
• Ashrama-life
• Lineage-traditions
• Ethics

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya; it focuses on personal discipline (ūrdhvaretas/brahmacarya) and the transmission of dharma through a teacher–lineage in an āśrama setting.

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

It models the ideal foundation for later worldly duties: before ruling or household responsibilities, one is trained in self-control and learns dharma from qualified authorities—suggesting that governance and gṛhastha-life should rest on disciplined study and lineage-based instruction.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple-building rule is stated here; the significance is ritual-ethical: āśrama residence, celibate discipline, and formal listening (śravaṇa) as the means of receiving dharma.