Matsya Purana — Chapter 37

MtP 37.1

तस्मात्सान्त्वं सदा वाच्यं न वाच्यं परुषं क्वचित् पूज्यान्सम्पूजयेद् दद्यान् नाभिशापं कदाचन ॥ मत्स्प्_३६।१३ मत्स्य-पुराण ३७ * सर्वाणि कार्याणि समाप्य राजन् गृहान्परित्यज्य वनं गतो ऽसि तत्त्वां पृच्छामि नहुषस्य पुत्र केनापि तुल्यस्तपसा ययाते

tasmātsāntvaṃ sadā vācyaṃ na vācyaṃ paruṣaṃ kvacit pūjyānsampūjayed dadyān nābhiśāpaṃ kadācana // MatsP_36.13 matsya-purāṇa 37 * sarvāṇi kāryāṇi samāpya rājan gṛhānparityajya vanaṃ gato 'si tattvāṃ pṛcchāmi nahuṣasya putra kenāpi tulyastapasā yayāte

Therefore gentle words should always be spoken, harsh words never anywhere; one should honour those worthy of honour and should give, and never utter a curse. [36.13] (Śakra said:) Having completed all your duties, O king, and abandoned your home, you have gone to the forest; so I ask you, son of Nahuṣa: with whom are you equal in austerity, Yayāti?

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

MtP 37.2

नाहं देवमनुष्येषु न गन्धर्वमहर्षिषु आत्मनस्तपसा तुल्यं कंचित्पश्यामि वासव

nāhaṃ devamanuṣyeṣu na gandharvamaharṣiṣu ātmanastapasā tulyaṃ kaṃcitpaśyāmi vāsava

"Among gods and men, nor among gandharvas and great sages, do I see anyone equal to myself in austerity, O Vāsava."

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

MtP 37.3

यदावमंस्थाः सदृशः श्रेयसश्च पापीयसश् चाविदितप्रभावः तस्माल्लोका ह्य् अन्तवन्तस्तवेमे क्षीणे पुण्ये पतितो ऽस्यद्य राजन्

yadāvamaṃsthāḥ sadṛśaḥ śreyasaśca pāpīyasaś cāviditaprabhāvaḥ tasmāllokā hy antavantastaveme kṣīṇe puṇye patito 'syadya rājan

"Since you have despised your equals, and your betters, and your inferiors, not knowing (their) power — therefore these worlds of yours have an end; your merit spent, you have fallen this day, O king."

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

MtP 37.4

सुरर्षिगन्धर्वनरावमानात् क्षयं गता मे यदि शक्रलोकाः इच्छाम्यहं सुरलोकाद्विहीनः सतां मध्ये पतितुं देवराज

surarṣigandharvanarāvamānāt kṣayaṃ gatā me yadi śakralokāḥ icchāmyahaṃ suralokādvihīnaḥ satāṃ madhye patituṃ devarāja

"If my Śakra-worlds have come to destruction through my contempt of gods, sages, gandharvas and men, then, deprived of the world of the gods, I wish to fall in the midst of the good, O king of gods."

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

MtP 37.5

सतां सकाशे पतितो ऽसि राजंश् च्युतः प्रतिष्ठां यत्र लब्धासि भूयः एवं विदित्वा तु पुनर्ययाते न ते ऽवमान्याः सदृशः श्रेयसे च

satāṃ sakāśe patito 'si rājaṃś cyutaḥ pratiṣṭhāṃ yatra labdhāsi bhūyaḥ evaṃ viditvā tu punaryayāte na te 'vamānyāḥ sadṛśaḥ śreyase ca

"You have fallen in the presence of the good, O king; though cast down, there you will regain your standing. Knowing this, Yayāti, you must not again despise your equals — and (such conduct leads) to welfare."

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition — the model flagged this verse as uncertain

MtP 37.6

ततः पपातामरराजजुष्टात् पुण्याल्लोकात्पतमानं ययातिम् सम्प्रेक्ष्य राजर्षिवरो ऽष्टकस् तम् उवाच सद्धर्मविधानगोप्ता

tataḥ papātāmararājajuṣṭāt puṇyāllokātpatamānaṃ yayātim samprekṣya rājarṣivaro 'ṣṭakas tam uvāca saddharmavidhānagoptā

Then he fell from the holy world frequented by the king of the immortals; and seeing Yayāti falling, Aṣṭaka, foremost of royal sages, guardian of the ordinances of true dharma, said to him:

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

MtP 37.7

कस्त्वं युवा वासवतुल्यरूपः स्वतेजसा दीप्यमानो यथाग्निः पतस्युदीर्णाम्बुधरप्रकाशः खे खेचराणां प्रवरो यथार्कः

kastvaṃ yuvā vāsavatulyarūpaḥ svatejasā dīpyamāno yathāgniḥ patasyudīrṇāmbudharaprakāśaḥ khe khecarāṇāṃ pravaro yathārkaḥ

"Who are you, youthful, equal in form to Vāsava (Indra), blazing with your own splendour like fire? You fall (through) the sky with the brilliance of a swollen rain-cloud, like the sun, the chief of those who move in the sky.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

MtP 37.8

दृष्ट्वा च त्वां सूर्यपथात्पतन्तं वैश्वानरार्कद्युतिमप्रमेयम् किंनुस्विद् एतत् पततीव सर्वे वितर्कयन्तः परिमोहिताः स्मः

dṛṣṭvā ca tvāṃ sūryapathātpatantaṃ vaiśvānarārkadyutimaprameyam kiṃnusvid etat patatīva sarve vitarkayantaḥ parimohitāḥ smaḥ

And seeing you falling from the sun's path, immeasurable, with the radiance of fire and sun, we are all bewildered, wondering: what indeed is this that seems to be falling?

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

MtP 37.9

दृष्ट्वा च त्वाधिष्ठितं देवमार्गे शक्रार्कविष्णुप्रतिमप्रभावम् प्रत्युद्गतास्त्वां वयमद्य सर्वे तस्मात्पाते तव जिज्ञासमानाः

dṛṣṭvā ca tvādhiṣṭhitaṃ devamārge śakrārkaviṣṇupratimaprabhāvam pratyudgatāstvāṃ vayamadya sarve tasmātpāte tava jijñāsamānāḥ

And seeing you stationed on the path of the gods, of power like Śakra, the Sun, and Viṣṇu, we have all today come forth to meet you, wishing to know (the reason) for that fall of yours.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

MtP 37.10

न चापि त्वां धृष्णवः प्रष्टुम् अग्रे न च त्वमस्मान्पृच्छसि के वयं स्म तत्त्वां पृच्छामि स्पृहणीयरूपं कस्य त्वं वा किंनिमित्तं त्वमागाः

na cāpi tvāṃ dhṛṣṇavaḥ praṣṭum agre na ca tvamasmānpṛcchasi ke vayaṃ sma tattvāṃ pṛcchāmi spṛhaṇīyarūpaṃ kasya tvaṃ vā kiṃnimittaṃ tvamāgāḥ

Nor were we bold enough to question you first, nor do you ask us who we are. So I ask you, whose form is to be envied: whose (son) are you, or on what account have you come?

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

MtP 37.11

भयं तु ते व्येतु विषादमोहौ त्यजाशु देवेन्द्रसमानरूप त्वां वर्तमानं हि सतां सकाशे शक्रो न सोढुं बलहापि शक्तः

bhayaṃ tu te vyetu viṣādamohau tyajāśu devendrasamānarūpa tvāṃ vartamānaṃ hi satāṃ sakāśe śakro na soḍhuṃ balahāpi śaktaḥ

But let your fear depart; quickly abandon despondency and bewilderment, you whose form equals that of the lord of the gods. For while you stand in the presence of the good, Śakra, even with force, is not able to overpower you.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

MtP 37.12

सन्तः प्रतिष्ठा हि सुखच्युतानां सतां सदैवामरराजकल्प ते संगताः स्थावरजङ्गमेशाः प्रतिष्ठितस्त्वं सदृशेषु सत्सु

santaḥ pratiṣṭhā hi sukhacyutānāṃ satāṃ sadaivāmararājakalpa te saṃgatāḥ sthāvarajaṅgameśāḥ pratiṣṭhitastvaṃ sadṛśeṣu satsu

For the good are the (place of) support of those fallen from happiness; the good are always so, O you who are like the king of the immortals. These lords of the moving and unmoving have assembled; you stand established among the good, your equals.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

MtP 37.13

प्रभुरग्निः प्रतपने भूमिरावपने प्रभुः प्रभुः सूर्यः प्रकाशाच्च सतां चाभ्यागतः प्रभुः

prabhuragniḥ pratapane bhūmirāvapane prabhuḥ prabhuḥ sūryaḥ prakāśācca satāṃ cābhyāgataḥ prabhuḥ

Fire is master in burning, earth is master in receiving the seed, the sun is master by reason of its light, and a guest is master of the good."

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition