Matsya Purana — Navagraha Sacrifice for Planetary Pacification and Prosperity, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

आदित्प्रत्नस्य रेतस आकाशस्य उदाहृतः क्राणा शिशुर्महीनां च वायोर्मन्त्रः प्रकीर्तितः //

Transliteration

āditpratnasya retasa ākāśasya udāhṛtaḥ krāṇā śiśurmahīnāṃ ca vāyormantraḥ prakīrtitaḥ //

Translation

‘ആദിത്പ്രത്ന’ ആകാശത്തിന്റെ സൃഷ്ടി-ബീജം (രേതസ്) എന്നു പ്രഖ്യാപിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു. ‘ക്രാണാ’ ഭൂമി-ലോകങ്ങളുടെ ശിശു എന്നു പ്രഖ്യാതമാണ്. അതുപോലെ വായുവിന്റെ മന്ത്രവും പ്രസ്താവിതവും കീർത്തിതവും ആകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• ādītpratnasya: of/related to ‘Āditpratna’ (an archaic Vedic epithet/mantra-name)

• retasaḥ: seed, generative essence

• ākāśasya: of the sky/ether

• udāhṛtaḥ: is stated, is declared

• krāṇā: ‘Krāṇā’ (a Vedic mantra-name/epithet)

• śiśuḥ: child, offspring

• mahīnām: of the earths/lands/worlds (plural, often ‘the terrestrial regions’)

• ca: and

• vāyoḥ: of Vāyu (the Wind-god)

• mantraḥ: mantra, sacred formula/name

• prakīrtitaḥ: is proclaimed, is extolled/recited as known.

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) conveying the Matsya Purana’s mantra-name explanations (within the Matsya–Manu discourse frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Akasha (Ākāśa)
• Vayu (Vāyu)
• Mahī (Earth/terrestrial realms)

Tags

• Creation
• Vedic Mantras
• Cosmology
• Deities
• Etymology

FAQs

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

It frames creation in mantra-cosmological terms: sky (ākāśa) and wind (vāyu) are linked with specific mantra-names and a ‘seed’ (retas), implying an ordered emergence of elements through sacred sound/epithets rather than describing flood-dissolution directly.

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

Indirectly, it supports the Purāṇic ideal that rulers and householders uphold ritual order (mantra-recitation, honoring deities like Vāyu) to maintain cosmic harmony—an underpinning for dharma-based governance and domestic rites.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it emphasizes mantra-identity of cosmic principles (ākāśa/vāyu). In Vāstu and temple-ritual cross-reading, these elements correspond to space and air—key considerations in consecration and directional/elemental balancing, though no explicit building rule is stated in this verse.