Shloka 24

Matsya Purana — Bhīma-Dvādaśī

Devanagari script

दामोदरायेत्युदरं मेढ्रं पञ्चशराय वै ऊरू सौभाग्यनाथाय जानुनी भूतधारिणे //

Transliteration

dāmodarāyetyudaraṃ meḍhraṃ pañcaśarāya vai ūrū saubhāgyanāthāya jānunī bhūtadhāriṇe //

Translation

“(One should assign) the belly to ‘Dāmodara’; the generative organ to ‘Pañcaśara’; the thighs to ‘Saubhāgyanātha’; and the knees to ‘Bhūtadhārin’.”

Word by Word

• dāmodarāya iti: ‘to Dāmodara’ (invocatory designation)

• udaraṃ: the belly/abdomen

• meḍhram: the penis/generative organ

• pañcaśarāya: ‘to Pañcaśara’ (the Five-arrowed Lord, epithet commonly of Kāma, here used as a name in nyāsa)

• vai: indeed

• ūrū: the two thighs

• saubhāgyanāthāya: ‘to Saubhāgyanātha’ (Lord of auspicious fortune)

• jānunī: the two knees

• bhūtadhāriṇe: ‘to Bhūtadhārin’ (supporter/bearer of beings/elements)

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (instructing Vaivasvata Manu on ritual/nyasa procedure)

Entities Mentioned

• Dāmodara
• Pañcaśara
• Saubhāgyanātha
• Bhūtadhārin

Tags

• Iconography
• Ritual
• Nyasa
• Mantra
• Worship

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it gives a ritual mapping of divine epithets onto bodily locations (nyāsa), used for sanctifying the worshipper or the deity-image.

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

It supports the householder’s dharma of daily worship by prescribing a precise internal ritual (nyāsa) that disciplines attention and consecrates the body as fit for pūjā.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it is a nyāsa instruction: specific names are installed in specific limbs (belly, organ, thighs, knees), a common step in image-worship and mantra-sādhana described in Purāṇic ritual sections.