Shloka 3

Matsya Purana — Code of Conduct and Vow-Procedure for Courtesans

Devanagari script

ताभिर्वसन्तसमये कोकिलालिकुलाकुले पुष्पिते पवनोत्फुल्लकह्लारसरसस्तटे //

Transliteration

tābhirvasantasamaye kokilālikulākule puṣpite pavanotphullakahlārasarasastaṭe //

Translation

With them, in the season of spring—when the groves were alive with cuckoos and swarms of bees, when all was in bloom—he moved along the banks of a lake where kahlāra lotuses had opened, stirred by the breeze.

Word by Word

• ताभिः (tābhiḥ): with them/with those women or companions

• वसन्त-समये (vasanta-samaye): at the time of spring

• कोकिल (kokila): cuckoo

• अलि-कुल (alī-kula): swarm of bees

• आकुले (ākule): crowded, filled, resounding

• पुष्पिते (puṣpite): blossoming, flowered

• पवन (pavana): wind, breeze

• उत्फुल्ल (utphulla): fully opened, expanded

• कahlāra (kahlāra): a kind of lotus/water-lily

• सरसस् (sarasaḥ): lake, pond

• तटे (taṭe): on the bank, at the shore

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) describing the scene within the Matsya Purana’s ongoing narration

Entities Mentioned

• Kokila (cuckoo)
• Alikulā (swarms of bees)
• Kahlāra (water-lily/lotus)
• Vasanta (spring season)

Tags

• Ritucarya
• Nature-Description
• Sacred Geography
• Poetics
• Matsya Purana

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya; it presents an auspicious spring landscape—blooming flowers, bees, cuckoos, and lotuses—used in the Purana as a setting that signals vitality and harmonious order (ṛta) rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

Indirectly, it supports the Purana’s ideal of regulated life (ritucarya): spring is portrayed as a time of renewal and flourishing, encouraging householders and rulers to align conduct, festivities, and charitable acts with seasons while maintaining restraint amid sensual abundance.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vastu rule appears, but the verse highlights preferred sacred-site qualities for rituals and retreats—clean lake-banks, flowering groves, gentle breezes—features often recommended in Puranic tradition when selecting pleasant and auspicious locations for worship or rest-houses.