Shloka 15

Matsya Purana — Cosmography of Śākadvīpa and Successive Dvīpas: Mountains

Devanagari script

स वै सोमक इत्युक्तो देवैर्यत्रामृतं पुरा संभृतं च हृतं चैव मातुरर्थे गरुत्मता //

Transliteration

sa vai somaka ityukto devairyatrāmṛtaṃ purā saṃbhṛtaṃ ca hṛtaṃ caiva māturarthe garutmatā //

Translation

That place was indeed called “Somaka” by the gods—where, in ancient times, the amṛta, nectar of immortality, was gathered, and then also carried off by Garuḍa for the sake of his mother.

Word by Word

• सः: that (place/person)

• वै: indeed

• सोमकः: Somaka (name)

• इति: thus

• उक्तः: called/said

• देवैः: by the gods

• यत्र: where

• अमृतम्: nectar of immortality

• पुरा: formerly/in ancient times

• संभृतम्: collected/assembled

• च: and

• हृतम्: taken away/carried off

• च एव: and also/indeed

• मातुः अर्थे: for the mother’s sake/for his mother’s purpose

• गरुत्मता: by Garuḍa (the winged one)

Speaker

• Suta (Pauranic narrator) describing a sacred place-name and its mythic cause within the Matsya Purana’s genealogical narrative

Entities Mentioned

• Somaka
• Devas
• Amrita
• Garuda
• Mother of Garuda (Vinata)

Tags

• Amrita
• Garuda
• Sacred Geography
• Puranic Etiology
• Genealogies

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe pralaya; it preserves mythic history by linking a place-name (“Somaka”) to the amṛta episode, emphasizing sacred geography rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

Indirectly, it highlights filial duty: Garuḍa acts “for his mother’s sake,” a Puranic exemplar of honoring and protecting one’s parents—an ethical value repeatedly affirmed for householders and rulers.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu or temple rule appears here; the ritual takeaway is tirtha-etiology—places gain sanctity through divine events, supporting pilgrimage, worship, and remembrance of sacred narratives.