Shloka 35

Matsya Purana — Cosmography of Jambūdvīpa: Varṣas

Devanagari script

उदगायतो महाशैलो माल्यवान्नाम पर्वतः द्वात्रिंशता सहस्रेण प्रतीच्यां सागरानुगः //

Transliteration

udagāyato mahāśailo mālyavānnāma parvataḥ dvātriṃśatā sahasreṇa pratīcyāṃ sāgarānugaḥ //

Translation

To the north rises the great mountain named Mālyavān; it extends for thirty-two thousand (yojanas) and, in the western direction, runs on until it meets the ocean.

Word by Word

• udagāyataḥ: extending northward / to the north

• mahāśailaḥ: the great mountain

• mālyavān-nāma: named Mālyavān

• parvataḥ: mountain

• dvātriṃśatā: by thirty-two

• sahasreṇa: thousand (as a measure)

• pratīcyām: in the west / westward

• sāgara-anugaḥ: going to/along the ocean, reaching the sea

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu (contextual attribution for this cosmography passage)

Entities Mentioned

• Mālyavān
• Sāgara (Ocean)

Tags

• Cosmography
• Sacred geography
• Mountains
• Puranic measures
• Bhūgola

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it belongs to the Matsya Purana’s cosmographic mapping, describing a named mountain (Mālyavān) and its extent up to the ocean.

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

Indirectly, such geographic catalogues support dharmic governance and pilgrimage culture: a king is expected to know the realm’s sacred geography and protect routes, tīrthas, and boundaries referenced in Purāṇic descriptions.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule appears here; the practical takeaway is orientation (north/west) and spatial measure (32,000), which Purāṇas often use as a cosmological framework within which tīrthas and sacred sites are situated.