Matsya Purana — Manvantaras, Shloka 77
पुरे शयनात्पुरुषो ज्ञानात्क्षेत्रज्ञ उच्यते यस्माद्धर्मात्प्रसूते हि तस्माद्वै धार्मिकस्तु सः //
pure śayanātpuruṣo jñānātkṣetrajña ucyate yasmāddharmātprasūte hi tasmādvai dhārmikastu saḥ //
‘پُری’—یعنی بدن—میں آرام/قیام کرنے کے سبب وہ پُرُش کہلاتا ہے، اور علم کی فطرت رکھنے کے باعث ‘کشت্রجْञ’ (کھیت کا جاننے والا) کہا جاتا ہے۔ اور چونکہ وہ دھرم ہی سے پیدا ہوتا ہے، اس لیے وہ حقیقتاً ‘دھارمک’—راست باز—ہے۔
FAQs
It does not describe Pralaya directly; it defines the indwelling knower (kṣetrajña) and links righteousness (dhārmika) to Dharma, implying a stable spiritual principle that persists beyond external change.
By grounding personhood in Dharma, it implies that a king or householder should govern and live as a dhārmika—aligning decisions, protection, and conduct with righteousness rather than mere power or pleasure.
The verse uses ‘city/dwelling’ imagery (pura) to frame the self as the indweller; in Vastu-oriented readings, it supports the idea that a settlement or house should be established with Dharma and right order, as habitation is not merely physical but ethically and spiritually grounded.