Shloka 12

Matsya Purana — Cosmography of Śākadvīpa and Successive Dvīpas: Mountains

Devanagari script

तस्यापरेण सुमहाञ् श्यामो नाम महागिरिः यत्र श्यामत्वमापन्नाः प्रजाः पूर्वमिमाः किल //

Transliteration

tasyāpareṇa sumahāñ śyāmo nāma mahāgiriḥ yatra śyāmatvamāpannāḥ prajāḥ pūrvamimāḥ kila //

Translation

To the west of that region stands a very great mountain named Śyāma; there, it is said, these peoples of old became dark-complexioned.

Word by Word

• tasya: of that (place/region)

• apareṇa: to the west/elsewhere beyond

• sumahān: very great

• śyāmaḥ: Śyāma (lit. dark/black

• nāma: named

• mahāgiriḥ: great mountain

• yatra: where

• śyāmatvam: dark coloration/darkness of complexion

• āpannāḥ: having attained/come to

• prajāḥ: peoples/subjects

• pūrvam: formerly/in ancient times

• imāḥ: these

• kila: indeed/it is said (traditional report)

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) reporting the Purāṇic geographic account (within the Matsya Purāṇa’s discourse tradition)

Entities Mentioned

• Śyāma (Mahāgiri)

Tags

• Sacred Geography
• Mountains
• Bhūgola
• Ethnography
• Matsya Purana

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it belongs to a geographic/ethnographic description, locating a mountain (Śyāma) and attributing an old tradition about the complexion change of peoples associated with that region.

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

Directly, it does not prescribe rājadharma or gṛhastha-dharma; indirectly, such geographic notes support a king’s knowledge of lands and peoples (deśa-jñāna) used in governance, travel, and administration described elsewhere in Purāṇic literature.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; the verse functions as a toponymic landmark (a named mountain) that could serve as a traditional geographic reference for tīrtha-travel or regional mapping in Purāṇic contexts.