Shloka 35

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

Devanagari script

कामाय पादौ सम्पूज्य जङ्घे वै मोहकारिणे मेढ्रं कन्दर्पनिधये कीटं प्रीतिमते नमः //

Transliteration

kāmāya pādau sampūjya jaṅghe vai mohakāriṇe meḍhraṃ kandarpanidhaye kīṭaṃ prītimate namaḥ //

Translation

Having duly worshipped the feet as Desire (Kāma), and the shanks as the cause of delusion (Moha), (one venerates) the generative organ as the abode of erotic impulse (Kandarpa); and salutations to the “worm/creature” that delights in pleasure.

Word by Word

• कामाय: to Kāma (desire)

• पादौ: the two feet

• सम्पूज्य: having fully worshipped/after duly honoring

• जङ्घे: the two shanks/legs

• वै: indeed

• मोहकारिणे: to the maker/cause of delusion

• मेढ्रम्: the male generative organ

• कन्दर्पनिधये: to the repository/abode of Kandarpa (Cupid/erotic passion)

• कीटम्: a worm/insect/lowly creature (metaphor for pleasure-seeking life)

• प्रीतिमते: to the one devoted to pleasure/possessing delight

• नमः: salutation.

Speaker

• Likely Sūta (narrator) continuing a ritualized praise/nyāsa-style passage; exact interlocutors not explicit in this single verse

Entities Mentioned

• Kāma
• Moha
• Kandarpa

Tags

• Ritual
• Nyasa
• Aṅga-vandana
• Kāma
• Moha

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it is a ritualized, symbolic mapping of desire and delusion onto body-parts, emphasizing psychological forces rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

By naming desire (kāma) and delusion (moha) as forces tied to bodily experience, it implicitly warns householders and rulers to govern the senses and avoid being led by passion—an ethical subtext consistent with Purāṇic self-restraint.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual (nyāsa/aṅga-vandana style): it treats bodily limbs as loci of specific powers or impulses and prescribes reverential acknowledgment as part of disciplined recitation or worship, not Vāstu or temple-construction rules.