Matsya Purana — Devayānī–Śarmiṣṭhā Dialogue: Yayāti’s Transgression, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

*शुक्र उवाच नाहं मृषा वदाम्येतज् जरां प्राप्तो ऽसि भूमिप जरां त्व् एतां त्वमन्यस्मिन् संक्रामय यदीच्छसि //

Transliteration

*śukra uvāca nāhaṃ mṛṣā vadāmyetaj jarāṃ prāpto 'si bhūmipa jarāṃ tv etāṃ tvamanyasmin saṃkrāmaya yadīcchasi //

Translation

Śukra nói: “Trong việc này ta không nói dối. Hỡi đại vương, ngươi đã bị tuổi già bắt kịp. Nếu muốn, hãy chuyển chính sự già nua này của ngươi sang cho người khác.”

Word by Word

• शुक्र उवाच (śukra uvāca): Śukra said

• नाहं (nāhaṃ): I do not

• मृषा (mṛṣā): falsely

• वदामि (vadāmi): speak

• एतत् (etat): this (matter)

• जराम् (jarām): old age

• प्राप्तः असि (prāptaḥ asi): you have attained/been overtaken by

• भूमिप (bhūmipa): O king, lord of the earth

• तु (tu): indeed

• एताम् (etām): this very

• त्वम् (tvam): you

• अन्यस्मिन् (anyasmin): into another (person)

• संक्रामय (saṃkrāmaya): transfer/shift

• यदि इच्छसि (yadi icchasi): if you wish

Speaker

• Shukra (Śukrācārya)

Entities Mentioned

• Shukra (Śukrācārya)
• Bhūmipa (the King)

Tags

• Rajadharma
• Ethics
• Dialogue
• Aging
• Karmic consequence

FAQs

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

Nothing directly—this verse is not about Pralaya; it focuses on a moral-didactic motif: the inevitability of old age and the (purported) power to shift its burden.

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

It frames kingship within self-governance: even a ruler is subject to aging, so righteous conduct and restraint are implied; seeking to evade old age hints at the ethical tension between duty and personal desire.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

None is stated in this verse; it belongs to a narrative-ethical dialogue rather than Matsya Purana Vastu Shastra tips or temple-building rules.