Shloka 21

Matsya Purana — Description of Himavat

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वैव तं चारुनितम्बभूमिं महानुभावः स तु मद्रनाथः बभ्राम तत्रैव मुदा समेतः स्थानं तदा किंचिदथाससाद //

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvaiva taṃ cārunitambabhūmiṃ mahānubhāvaḥ sa tu madranāthaḥ babhrāma tatraiva mudā sametaḥ sthānaṃ tadā kiṃcidathāsasāda //

Translation

The illustrious lord of Madra, having merely seen that fair-hipped maiden, wandered about there at once, filled with delight; and then he reached a certain spot.

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा एव (dṛṣṭvā eva): having seen at once/merely by seeing

• तं (taṃ): her/that (maiden)

• चारु-नितम्ब-भूमिम् (cāru-nitamba-bhūmim): the one with lovely hips (lit. ‘having a beautiful hip-region’)

• महा-अनुभावः (mahānubhāvaḥ): great-souled, illustrious

• सः (saḥ): he

• तु (tu): indeed

• मद्र-नाथः (madranāthaḥ): the lord/king of Madra

• बभ्राम (babhrāma): wandered/roamed

• तत्र एव (tatra eva): right there

• मुदा (mudā): with joy

• समेतः (sametaḥ): accompanied/attended (or ‘possessed of’ joy

• स्थानम् (sthānam): place, spot

• तदा (tadā): then

• किञ्चित् (kiṃcit): some, a certain

• अथ (atha): then/thereupon

• आससाद (āsasāda): reached, came to

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) or the Purana’s narrative voice (contextual narration of events)

Entities Mentioned

• Madra-natha (King of Madra)

Tags

• Dynasties
• Royal narrative
• Encounter
• Journey
• Puranic storytelling

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it is a narrative moment describing a king’s immediate attraction and movement within an episode, with no cosmological dissolution theme stated.

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

Indirectly, it shows a king acting from delight upon seeing a woman—material that Puranic narratives often use to set up later ethical instruction about self-control (dama), discernment (viveka), and the consequences of desire for rulers.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vastu Shastra, temple-building rule, or ritual procedure is mentioned; the verse only notes movement to a particular place, which may serve as a narrative transition to the next event-location.