Shloka 31

Matsya Purana — Cosmography of Jambūdvīpa: Varṣas

Devanagari script

रम्यकादपरं श्वेतं विश्रुतं तद्धिरण्यकम् हिरण्यकात्परं चैव शृङ्गशाकंकुरं स्मृतम् //

Transliteration

ramyakādaparaṃ śvetaṃ viśrutaṃ taddhiraṇyakam hiraṇyakātparaṃ caiva śṛṅgaśākaṃkuraṃ smṛtam //

Translation

Beyond Ramyaka lies the famed Śveta region, known as Hiraṇyaka; and beyond Hiraṇyaka, the land called Śṛṅgaśākāṅkura is remembered.

Word by Word

• रम्यकात् (ramyakāt): from/than Ramyaka

• अपरम् (aparam): beyond, further

• श्वेतम् (śvetam): Śveta (the ‘White’ region/name)

• विश्रुतम् (viśrutam): renowned, widely celebrated

• तत् (tat): that

• हिरण्यकम् (hiraṇyakam): Hiraṇyaka (name of a region, ‘golden’)

• हिरण्यकात् (hiraṇyakāt): beyond Hiraṇyaka

• परम् (param): further, beyond

• च एव (caiva): and indeed

• शृङ्गशाकंकुरम् (śṛṅgaśākaṃkuram): Śṛṅgaśākāṅkura (name of a region, lit. ‘peak/crest–branch–sprout’)

• स्मृतम् (smṛtam): is remembered/mentioned in tradition.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu (cosmography narration context)

Entities Mentioned

• Ramyaka
• Śveta
• Hiraṇyaka
• Śṛṅgaśākāṅkura

Tags

• Cosmography
• Jambudvipa
• Sacred Geography
• Puranic Regions
• Bhugola

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it catalogs geographic regions in the Puranic cosmography, mapping lands said to lie successively beyond one another.

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

Indirectly, such cosmographic passages frame the king’s ideal as a ruler aware of the wider sacred world (tirthas, regions, and peoples), but this specific verse itself states only place-names and their sequence.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vastu or ritual rule appears here; its significance is geographic—useful for interpreting Puranic ‘world-map’ passages often referenced in pilgrimage, temple lore, and regional identifications.