Matsya Purana — Measures of Time: Caturyuga Computation, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

लौकिकेन प्रमाणेन अब्दो यो मानुषः स्मृतः एतद्दिव्यमहोरात्रम् इत्येषा वैदिकी श्रुतिः //

Transliteration

laukikena pramāṇena abdo yo mānuṣaḥ smṛtaḥ etaddivyamahorātram ityeṣā vaidikī śrutiḥ //

Translation

依世间通行的度量，所谓人间“一年”者——正是诸天的一昼一夜；此乃吠陀圣传（śruti）之宣示。

Word by Word

• laukikena: by worldly/common

• pramāṇena: by a measure/standard

• abdaḥ: a year

• yaḥ: which

• mānuṣaḥ: human

• smṛtaḥ: is remembered/recognized

• etat: this

• divyam: divine, of the gods

• ahorātram: day-and-night (a full diurnal cycle)

• iti: thus

• eṣā: this

• vaidikī: Vedic

• śrutiḥ: revelation/scriptural hearing

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu on cosmic time-reckoning

Entities Mentioned

• Lord Matsya
• Vaivasvata Manu
• Devas
• Vedic Śruti

Tags

• CosmicTime
• YugaCalculations
• DevaDay
• VedicAuthority
• MatsyaPuranaCosmology

FAQs

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

It sets the scale of divine time (a human year equals a divine day-night), which underlies Purāṇic calculations for vast cycles like yugas, manvantaras, and the long spans associated with pralaya frameworks.

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

It reminds rulers and householders that human life operates within larger cosmic rhythms; governance, vows, and ritual calendars are ideally aligned with scriptural time-reckoning rather than merely local convention.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it supports timing logic for observances by grounding them in śruti-backed cosmological units; it does not directly give Vāstu or temple-building rules, but it informs the sacred calendar used for consecrations and major rites.