Shloka 6

Matsya Purana — Description of the Daitya–Dānava War Preparations and Maya’s Divine Chariots

Devanagari script

हेमकेयूरवलयं स्वर्णमण्डलकूबरम् सपताकध्वजोपेतं सादित्यमिव मन्दरम् //

Transliteration

hemakeyūravalayaṃ svarṇamaṇḍalakūbaram sapatākadhvajopetaṃ sādityamiva mandaram //

Translation

Adorned with golden armlets and circlets, furnished with a golden domed/arched superstructure, and equipped with banners and flags—(it appeared) like Mandara mountain, radiant as the sun.

Word by Word

• hema: gold

• keyūra: armlet/upper-arm ornament

• valayaṃ: bracelet/circlet/encircling ornament

• svarṇa: gold

• maṇḍala: circle/disk/domed form

• kūbaram: superstructure/arched roof or prominent upper framework (kūbara)

• sa-patāka: with pennants/banners

• dhvaja: flag/standard

• upetaṃ: endowed with/equipped with

• sa-ādityam: with (the brilliance of) the sun/sunlike

• iva: like/as if

• mandaram: Mandara (the mountain), i.e., Mandara-like in grandeur

Speaker

• Likely Sūta (narrative voice) relaying the description within the Matsya Purana’s iconography/vastu context

Entities Mentioned

• Mandara
• Aditya (the Sun)

Tags

• Iconography
• Vastu Shastra
• Temple Architecture
• Royal Insignia
• Ornamentation

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it is a descriptive (lakṣaṇa) verse emphasizing auspicious brilliance and grandeur through gold ornamentation and sunlike radiance.

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

It reflects royal/ritual aesthetics: standards (dhvaja) and banners (patākā) signify sovereignty, victory, and auspicious public rites—elements a king sponsors and a householder emulates in festival and consecration settings.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

It highlights auspicious architectural/ritual markers—golden upper structures (kūbara), circular/domed forms (maṇḍala), and flags/banners—used to signal sanctity, celebration, and visibility in temple or ceremonial constructions.