Matsya Purana — Questions on Padmanabha’s Lotus-Creation in the Padma Mahakalpa; Prelude to N..., Shloka 13

Devanagari script

शृणुयां परया भक्त्या ब्रह्मन्नेतदशेषतः वक्तुमर्हसि धर्मिष्ठ यशो नारायणात्मकम् //

Transliteration

śṛṇuyāṃ parayā bhaktyā brahmannetadaśeṣataḥ vaktumarhasi dharmiṣṭha yaśo nārāyaṇātmakam //

Translation

โอ พราหมณ์ ข้าปรารถนาจะฟังเรื่องนี้โดยครบถ้วนด้วยภักติอันสูงสุด โอ ผู้ตั้งมั่นในธรรม ท่านควรเล่าพระเกียรติคุณซึ่งมีนารายณ์เป็นแก่นแท้

Word by Word

• śṛṇuyām: may I hear

• parayā: with supreme/highest

• bhaktyā: devotion

• brahman: O Brahmin (revered sage)

• etat: this (teaching/account)

• aśeṣataḥ: completely, without remainder

• vaktum: to speak, to narrate

• arhasi: you are worthy/you should

• dharmiṣṭha: most righteous, established in dharma

• yaśaḥ: fame, glory, sacred renown

• nārāyaṇa-ātmakam: having Nārāyaṇa as its essence/nature

Speaker

• A disciple/inquirer addressing a Brahmin-sage narrator (likely Sūta-style interlocution within Purāṇic dialogue)

Entities Mentioned

• Brahmin (Brahman)
• Narayana

Tags

• Bhakti
• Narayana
• Stuti
• Dharma
• Purana narration

FAQs

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

This verse does not directly discuss pralaya; it establishes a devotional setting where the listener requests a complete narration of Nārāyaṇa’s glory, which in the Purāṇic frame often precedes cosmological accounts.

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

It models a core dharmic duty shared by kings and householders: śravaṇa (reverent listening) to sacred teachings with para-bhakti, and approaching a dharmic teacher to receive the full account without omission.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu or iconographic rule appears here; the ritual takeaway is the emphasis on bhakti-driven śravaṇa and proper address to a qualified, dharma-established narrator before receiving sacred instruction.