Shloka 62

Matsya Purana — Cosmography of Śākadvīpa and Successive Dvīpas: Mountains

Devanagari script

अपां विदारणाच्चैव मन्दरः स निगद्यते तत्र रत्नान्यनेकानि स्वयं रक्षति वासवः //

Transliteration

apāṃ vidāraṇāccaiva mandaraḥ sa nigadyate tatra ratnānyanekāni svayaṃ rakṣati vāsavaḥ //

Translation

Because it also “splits the waters,” it is called Mandara. There, many kinds of precious jewels are found, and Vāsava (Indra) himself protects them.

Word by Word

• अपाम् (apām): of waters

• विदारणात् (vidāraṇāt): from splitting/cleaving

• च एव (ca eva): and indeed

• मन्दरः (mandaraḥ): Mandara (mountain)

• स (sa): that/it

• निगद्यते (nigadyate): is said to be called/declared

• तत्र (tatra): there

• रत्नानि (ratnāni): jewels, precious gems

• अनेकानि (anekāni): many, numerous

• स्वयम् (svayam): himself

• रक्षति (rakṣati): protects, guards

• वासवः (vāsavaḥ): Vāsava, Indra (lord of the Devas).

Speaker

• Suta (Pauranic narrator) describing a sacred/cosmic locale within the Matsya Purana’s discourse

Entities Mentioned

• Mandara
• Vasava (Indra)
• Ratna (jewels)

Tags

• Sacred Geography
• Cosmography
• Mandara
• Indra
• Mythic Etymology

FAQs

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

Indirectly, it reflects Puranic cosmography: primordial waters and the motif of ‘cleaving the waters’ point to a world-structure where mountains and divine realms stand amid or above cosmic waters, a background often invoked in Pralaya narratives.

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

By depicting Indra as a guardian of treasures, the verse mirrors the rājadharma ideal that wealth and valuable resources should be protected through rightful guardianship, not exploited—an ethical template for rulers and householders managing prosperity.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu rule is stated, but the verse supports a common Purāṇic idea used in temple and tīrtha contexts: sacred landscapes (mountains, waters) are divinely protected and thus ritually potent—guiding site-selection reverence in later Vāstu/kshetra traditions.