Shloka 3

Matsya Purana — Description of Pralaya: Drying

Devanagari script

भित्त्वा गभस्तिभिश्चैव महीं गत्वा रसातलात् पातालजलमादाय पिबते रसमुत्तमम् //

Transliteration

bhittvā gabhastibhiścaiva mahīṃ gatvā rasātalāt pātālajalamādāya pibate rasamuttamam //

Translation

Piercing the earth with his rays, he goes down to Rasātala; drawing up the waters of Pātāla, he drinks their finest essence.

Word by Word

• भित्त्वा (bhittvā): having split, having pierced

• गभस्तिभिः (gabhastibhiḥ): with rays (beams of light)

• च एव (ca eva): and indeed

• महीम् (mahīm): the earth

• गत्वा (gatvā): having gone

• रसातलात् (rasātalāt): from Rasātala (a netherworld)

• पाताल-जलम् (pātāla-jalam): the water of Pātāla (subterranean waters)

• आदाय (ādāya): having taken up, having drawn

• पिबते (pibate): drinks

• रसम् (rasam): essence, sap, vital extract

• उत्तमम् (uttamam): excellent, supreme, finest.

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing a cosmological process (commonly understood as the Sun’s rays drawing subterranean waters/essence).

Entities Mentioned

• Rasatala
• Patala
• Earth (Mahī)
• Gabhasti (solar rays)
• Rasa (essence)

Tags

• Cosmology
• Netherworlds
• Subterranean waters
• Rasa
• Puranic science

FAQs

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

It presents a Purāṇic cosmological mechanism: the earth is ‘pierced’ by rays that reach the nether regions and draw up waters/essence—imagery often used to explain cosmic circulation and, by extension, conditions that can intensify during dissolution narratives.

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

Indirectly, it supports the Matsya Purāṇa’s worldview that kingship and household order should align with cosmic order (ṛta/dharma): just as the cosmos circulates ‘rasa’ (vital essence), rulers and householders must protect resources (water, land) and ensure their proper distribution.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

While not a direct Vāstu rule, it highlights the sanctity of subterranean waters (pātāla-jala) and ‘rasa’—a concept often echoed in temple-site selection and tīrtha logic, where water sources and the land’s ‘essence’ are treated as ritually significant.