Shloka 18

Matsya Purana — Description of Gomedaka and Puṣkara Dvīpas; the Lokāloka Boundary; Ocean Tide...

Devanagari script

पूर्वार्धे पर्वतस्यापि द्विधा देशस्तु स स्मृतः स्वादूदकेनोदधिना पुष्करः परिवारितः //

Transliteration

pūrvārdhe parvatasyāpi dvidhā deśastu sa smṛtaḥ svādūdakenodadhinā puṣkaraḥ parivāritaḥ //

Translation

On the eastern half of the mountain, that region is said to be divided into two; Puṣkara is encircled by an ocean of sweet water.

Word by Word

• पूर्वार्धे (pūrvārdhe): in the eastern half

• पर्वतस्य (parvatasya): of the mountain

• अपि (api): also/indeed

• द्विधा (dvidhā): in two, twofold

• देशः (deśaḥ): region, tract

• तु (tu): and/indeed

• सः (saḥ): that

• स्मृतः (smṛtaḥ): is remembered/said (in tradition)

• स्वादूदकेन (svādūdakena): with sweet water

• उदधिना (udadhinā): by the ocean/sea

• पुष्करः (puṣkaraḥ): Puṣkara (a region/dvīpa/varṣa name in Purāṇic geography)

• परिवारितः (parivāritaḥ): surrounded, encircled

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in discourse to Vaivasvata Manu, within the Purāṇic cosmography narration)

Entities Mentioned

• Puṣkara
• Parvata (the mountain referenced in the cosmographic description)
• Svādūdaka (sweet-water ocean)

Tags

• Matsya Purana cosmography
• Jambudvipa geography
• Purāṇic oceans
• Sacred geography
• 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 of regions and oceans, describing Puṣkara as surrounded by a sweet-water sea.

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

Directly, it does not legislate duties; indirectly, such geographical-cosmological knowledge frames Purāṇic ideas of sacred space and pilgrimage, which kings support through protection of routes, tīrthas, and public works.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu rule is stated; the key takeaway is sacred-geographical orientation (east/“pūrvārdha”) and the notion of ritually significant landscapes (regions encircled by purifying waters), often used to contextualize tīrtha and temple traditions.