Shloka 37

Matsya Purana — Cosmography of Śākadvīpa and Successive Dvīpas: Mountains

Devanagari script

ताः पिबन्ति सदा हृष्टा नदीर्जनपदास्तु ते एते शान्तभयाः प्रोक्ताः प्रमोदा ये च वै शिवाः //

Transliteration

tāḥ pibanti sadā hṛṣṭā nadīrjanapadāstu te ete śāntabhayāḥ proktāḥ pramodā ye ca vai śivāḥ //

Translation

Those regions and their people joyfully drink from the rivers at all times. These districts are declared to be free from fear—places of delight, and indeed auspicious (śiva) in nature.

Word by Word

• ताः (tāḥ): those (lands/regions)

• पिबन्ति (pibanti): drink

• सदा (sadā): always

• हृष्टाः (hṛṣṭāḥ): delighted, joyful

• नदीः (nadīḥ): rivers (waters)

• जनपदाः (janapadāḥ): districts, settled regions

• तु (tu): and/indeed

• ते (te): those

• एते (ete): these

• शान्त-भयाः (śānta-bhayāḥ): with fear pacified, fearless

• प्रोक्ताः (proktāḥ): said, declared

• प्रमोदाः (pramodāḥ): delights, joyous places

• ये (ye): which/that

• च (ca): and

• वै (vai): indeed

• शिवाः (śivāḥ): auspicious, beneficent (also resonant with Shiva as “the auspicious”)

Speaker

• Suta-like Purana narrator (contextual narration within Matsya Purana’s sacred-geography passage)

Entities Mentioned

• Rivers (Nadī)
• Janapadas (settled regions)
• Śiva (as auspiciousness/beneficence)

Tags

• Tirtha
• Sacred Geography
• Rivers
• Auspiciousness
• Protection

FAQs

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

It does not describe cosmic pralaya directly; instead, it highlights an ideal, protected earthly order where settlements thrive by rivers and are described as “fearless” and auspicious—an image of stability rather than dissolution.

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

By praising river-fed, fear-free janapadas, the verse implicitly supports royal duty (rājadharma) to secure water access, protect inhabitants from danger, and maintain prosperity; for householders, it affirms the value of living in well-watered, safe, and ritually auspicious regions.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

While not giving technical measurements, it elevates proximity to rivers and the quality of “fearlessness/auspiciousness” as criteria for choosing a settlement site—ideas aligned with Vastu thinking about water sources, wellbeing, and the auspicious character of land.