Matsya Purana — Devayānī–Śarmiṣṭhā Dialogue: Yayāti’s Transgression, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

धर्मज्ञ इति विख्यात एष राजा भृगूद्वह अतिक्रान्तश्च मर्यादां काव्यैतत्कथयामि ते //

Transliteration

dharmajña iti vikhyāta eṣa rājā bhṛgūdvaha atikrāntaśca maryādāṃ kāvyaitatkathayāmi te //

Translation

Hỡi bậc ưu tú trong dòng Bhṛgu, vị vua này vốn nổi danh là “người hiểu biết dharma”, thế nhưng đã vượt qua khuôn phép. Con xin thuật lại cho cha chính câu chuyện này, theo truyền thừa của dòng Kāvya (Śukra).

Word by Word

• धर्मज्ञ (dharmajña): knower of dharma, one skilled in righteousness

• इति (iti): thus

• विख्यात (vikhyāta): renowned, celebrated

• एष (eṣa): this

• राजा (rājā): king

• भृगूद्वह (bhṛgūdvaha): O best of the Bhṛgu lineage (address to a Bhṛgu-descended sage)

• अतिक्रान्तः (atikrāntaḥ): having transgressed, having overstepped

• च (ca): and

• मर्यादाम् (maryādām): boundary, limit, propriety/ethical constraint

• काव्य (kāvya): pertaining to Kāvya/Śukra (the Bhṛgu-line preceptor), traditional account from his lineage

• एतत् (etat): this

• कथयामि (kathayāmi): I narrate, I tell

• ते (te): to you.

Speaker

• Sūta/Narrator (within the Purāṇic narration addressing a Bhṛgu-line sage)

Entities Mentioned

• Bhṛgu (lineage reference)
• Kāvya/Śukra (lineage reference)
• the King (unnamed in this verse)

Tags

• Rajadharma
• Dharma
• Kings
• Transgression
• Genealogy

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya or cosmology; it introduces a moral-historical narrative about a king’s reputation for dharma and his later transgression of proper bounds (maryādā).

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

It highlights a key Rajadharma principle: even a ruler famed for righteousness can fall by crossing maryādā—ethical, legal, or social limits—implying that sustained self-restraint and adherence to dharma are central royal duties.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu, temple-building, iconography, or ritual procedure is mentioned in this verse; the focus is on kingship ethics and the authority of a traditional lineage account (Kāvya/Śukra).