Matsya Purana — Brahmā’s Four Faces, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

मनः सृष्टिं विकुरुते चोद्यमानं सिसृक्षया आकाशं शब्दतन्मात्राद् अभूच् छब्दगुणात्मकम् //

Transliteration

manaḥ sṛṣṭiṃ vikurute codyamānaṃ sisṛkṣayā ākāśaṃ śabdatanmātrād abhūc chabdaguṇātmakam //

Translation

ဖန်ဆင်းလိုသော ဆန္ဒကြောင့် လှုံ့ဆော်ခံရသော် မန (စိတ်) သည် စೃષ્ટိကို လှုပ်ရှားစတင်စေ၏။ အသံ၏ တန်မာတရ (śabda-tanmātra) မှ အာကာသ (ākāśa) ပေါ်ထွန်းလာ၍ ၎င်း၏ သတ်မှတ်ဂုဏ်သည် အသံ ဖြစ်သည်။

Word by Word

• मनः (manaḥ): mind

• सृष्टिम् (sṛṣṭim): creation

• विकुरुते (vikurute): transforms/sets in motion

• चोद्यमानम् (codyamānam): being impelled/urged

• सिसृक्षया (sisṛkṣayā): by the desire to create

• आकाशम् (ākāśam): ether/space

• शब्द-तन्मात्रात् (śabda-tanmātrāt): from the subtle element/essence of sound

• अभूत् (abhūt): arose/came into being

• शब्द-गुण-आत्मकम् (śabda-guṇātmakam): having sound as its characteristic quality

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (teaching Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Manas (Mind)
• Ākāśa (Ether/Space)
• Śabda-tanmātra (Subtle principle of Sound)

Tags

• Creation
• Tanmātras
• Mahābhūtas
• Sāṃkhya
• Cosmology

FAQs

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

It describes the forward creation sequence (sarga): when creation begins, mind-driven intention leads to the manifestation of ether from the sound-tanmātra, establishing sound as ether’s defining property.

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

Indirectly, it grounds dharma in cosmic order: as creation proceeds by orderly principles (cause → subtle essence → gross element), a king or householder is likewise expected to act with disciplined intention and structured governance/household management rather than impulse.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ākāśa (space) and śabda (sound) underpin ritual acoustics—mantra and recitation—and, by extension, temple planning that preserves resonant spaces; the verse supplies the cosmological basis for why sound is central in worship and sacred architecture.