Shloka 36

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

Devanagari script

निगीर्णत्वाच्च गिरयः पर्वबन्धाच्च पर्वताः शाकद्वीपे तु वै शाकः पर्वतस्तेन चोच्यते //

Transliteration

nigīrṇatvācca girayaḥ parvabandhācca parvatāḥ śākadvīpe tu vai śākaḥ parvatastena cocyate //

Translation

They are called ‘girayaḥ’ (mountains) because they have been ‘swallowed/engulfed’; and they are called ‘parvatāḥ’ because they are ‘bound with joints/knots’ (parva-bandha). In Śākadvīpa, indeed, there is a mountain named Śāka; therefore it is spoken of by that name.

Word by Word

• nigīrṇatvāt: because of being swallowed/engulfed

• ca: and

• girayaḥ: mountains (lit. ‘that which is swallowed’, traditional nirukti)

• parva-bandhāt: because of being bound/connected by ‘parva’ (joints, segments, knots)

• ca: and

• parvatāḥ: mountains

• śāka-dvīpe: in Śākadvīpa

• tu: indeed/but

• vai: certainly

• śākaḥ: Śāka (proper name)

• parvataḥ: mountain

• tena: by that (reason/name)

• ca: and

• ucyate: is called/is said

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating Purāṇic cosmography in the Matsya Purāṇa’s discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• Śākadvīpa
• Śāka (mountain)

Tags

• Cosmography
• Dvīpas
• Mountains
• Nirukti
• Matsya Purana geography

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya directly; it belongs to cosmography and explains traditional name-derivations for ‘mountain’ while identifying a key mountain of Śākadvīpa.

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

It is not a dharma injunction; its practical relevance is indirect—Purāṇic geography frames pilgrimage imagination and the kingly ideal of knowing the world-order (lokasaṃgraha) described in śāstra.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; however, the emphasis on ‘parva-bandha’ (structural joints/segments) echoes a broader Indian habit of explaining forms through structural principles—useful context when reading Matsya Purana Vāstu Śāstra chapters.