Shloka 5

Matsya Purana — Description of Himavat

Devanagari script

श्वेतमेघकृतोष्णीषं चन्द्रार्कमुकुटं क्वचित् हिमानुलिप्तसर्वाङ्गं क्वचिद्धातुविमिश्रितम् //

Transliteration

śvetameghakṛtoṣṇīṣaṃ candrārkamukuṭaṃ kvacit himānuliptasarvāṅgaṃ kvaciddhātuvimiśritam //

Translation

In some depictions, he is shown wearing a turban-like headdress fashioned like a white cloud; in others, a crown bearing the Moon and the Sun. Sometimes his entire body is portrayed as smeared with snow-like whiteness; at other times it is rendered with blended mineral pigments.

Word by Word

• śveta: white

• megha: cloud

• kṛta: made/formed

• uṣṇīṣaṃ: turban/headdress

• candrārka: moon-and-sun

• mukuṭaṃ: crown/diadem

• kvacit: in some cases/sometimes

• hima: snow/frost

• anulipta: smeared/anointed

• sarvāṅgaṃ: whole body

• kvacit: in other cases/sometimes

• dhātu: mineral/ore/pigment (esp. mineral colorants)

• vimiśritam: mixed/blended/combined

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) relaying the Matsya Purana’s iconographic injunctions (contextually within the Matsya–Manu discourse tradition)

Entities Mentioned

• Candra (Moon)
• Arka/Sūrya (Sun)

Tags

• Iconography
• Pratima Lakshana
• Crown
• Temple Art
• Mineral Pigments

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it belongs to iconographic instruction, describing permissible visual variants in depicting a deity/figure—headdress, crown symbols (moon–sun), and bodily coloration.

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

Indirectly, it supports dharmic patronage: a king or householder funding temple images should follow śāstric standards, allowing approved variants (kvacit) while still maintaining canonical symbols like the candrārka-mukuṭa.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

It guides pratima finishing and temple-art practice: the crown may bear moon and sun emblems, and the body may be finished with white ‘snow-like’ coating or mineral-pigment mixtures (dhātu), indicating sanctioned materials and visual conventions for consecrated images.