Matsya Purana — Brahmā’s Four Faces, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

ईश्वरेच्छावशः सो ऽपि जीवात्मा कथ्यते बुधैः एवं षड्विंशकं प्रोक्तं शरीरम् इह मानवे //

Transliteration

īśvarecchāvaśaḥ so 'pi jīvātmā kathyate budhaiḥ evaṃ ṣaḍviṃśakaṃ proktaṃ śarīram iha mānave //

Translation

Prinsip batin itu juga, kerana berada di bawah kehendak Tuhan (Īśvara), disebut oleh para bijaksana sebagai jīvātman, diri individu. Demikianlah, wahai Manu, tubuh manusia di sini dinyatakan terdiri daripada dua puluh enam unsur.

Word by Word

• īśvara-icchā-vaśaḥ: subject to the will of the Lord

• saḥ api: that also/it too

• jīva-ātmā: the individual self, embodied soul

• kathyate: is spoken of, is called

• budhaiḥ: by the wise, by learned sages

• evaṃ: thus

• ṣaḍ-viṃśakam: the group of twenty-six principles/constituents

• proktam: declared, taught

• śarīram: the body

• iha: here (in this teaching/in this world)

• mānave: O Manu

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) addressing Vaivasvata Manu

Entities Mentioned

• Ishvara
• Jivatman
• Manu

Tags

• Cosmology
• Sankhya
• Jiva
• Ishvara
• Tattva

FAQs

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

It frames the jīva as functioning under Īśvara’s will and defines the embodied condition through a fixed set of principles (the “twenty-six”), a metaphysical groundwork often used to explain how beings persist and re-manifest across cycles like pralaya and re-creation.

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

By asserting that the jīva is under the Lord’s governance and the body is a compound of constituents, it supports an ethic of humility and duty: rulers and householders should act as trustees (not absolute owners), performing dharma with awareness of the soul’s dependence on Īśvara.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or iconographic rule is stated; the verse is primarily metaphysical. Indirectly, it underpins ritual discipline by distinguishing the jīva from the body’s constituents, a common basis for purity rules and contemplative rites.