Matsya Purana — Ritual Bathing, Shloka 2
अनुद्धृतैरुद्धृतैर्वा जलैः स्नानं समाचरेत् तीर्थं च कल्पयेद्विद्वान् मूलमन्त्रेण मन्त्रवित् नमो नारायणायेति मूलमन्त्र उदाहृतः //
anuddhṛtairuddhṛtairvā jalaiḥ snānaṃ samācaret tīrthaṃ ca kalpayedvidvān mūlamantreṇa mantravit namo nārāyaṇāyeti mūlamantra udāhṛtaḥ //
Man soll das rituelle Bad ordnungsgemäß vollziehen, sei es mit ungeschöpftem Wasser (wie es natürlich vorhanden ist) oder mit geschöpftem (gesammeltem) Wasser. Ein Gelehrter, der in Mantras kundig ist, soll zudem mittels des Wurzel-Mantras (mūla-mantra) einen heiligen Badeort (tīrtha) rituell begründen. Als Wurzel-Mantra wird erklärt: „namo nārāyaṇāya“ („Ehrerbietung an Nārāyaṇa“).
FAQs
This verse does not describe pralaya directly; it focuses on purification through snāna and sanctifying a tīrtha via devotion to Nārāyaṇa, implying that ritual purity and remembrance of Vishnu remain central across cosmic cycles.
It supports daily dharma through bodily and ritual purification: a householder (and likewise a king as exemplar) should perform proper bathing and maintain devotion by using the mūla-mantra “namo nārāyaṇāya,” reinforcing disciplined religious practice.
Ritually, it authorizes creating/defining a tīrtha (a sanctified bathing spot) through mantra—showing that sacred space can be consecrated by correct procedure and mantra-knowledge, a principle aligned with broader Puranic consecration practices.