Shloka 10

Matsya Purana — Design and Splendour of Tripura: Maya’s Threefold Moving Fortress

Devanagari script

तारकस्य पुरं तत्र शतयोजनमन्तरम् विद्युन्मालिपुरं चापि शतयोजनके ऽन्तरे //

Transliteration

tārakasya puraṃ tatra śatayojanamantaram vidyunmālipuraṃ cāpi śatayojanake 'ntare //

Translation

There, the city of Tāraka lies at a distance of one hundred yojanas; and the city of Vidyunmālī too is separated by a gap of one hundred yojanas.

Word by Word

• तारकस्य (tārakasya): of Tāraka

• पुरम् (puram): city/fortified town

• तत्र (tatra): there/in that region

• शत-योजनम् (śata-yojanam): one hundred yojanas

• अन्तरम् (antaram): interval/distance

• विद्युन्मालि-पुरम् (vidyunmāli-puram): the city of Vidyunmālī

• च अपि (ca api): and also

• शत-योजनके (śata-yojanake): in an interval of one hundred yojanas/at a hundred-yojana spacing

• अन्तरे (antare): in the gap/between (them)

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating the Matsya Purāṇa’s account; instructional description of puranic geography/urban layout)

Entities Mentioned

• Tāraka
• Vidyunmālī
• Pura (city)
• Yojana (unit of distance)

Tags

• Vastu
• Puranic geography
• City-planning
• Measurements
• Cosmic topology

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya directly; it focuses on spatial ordering—measuring and situating cities at fixed yojana intervals—typical of the Purāṇa’s descriptive geography and planning-oriented passages.

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

By emphasizing standardized distances and orderly placement of settlements, it aligns with a king’s duty to plan and maintain well-structured cities, routes, and jurisdictions—core concerns of rājanīti and public welfare in Purāṇic governance ideals.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The key significance is measurement discipline: the verse uses the yojana as a planning metric, implying that sacred/ideal city layouts follow precise spacing—an approach compatible with Vāstu-vidyā principles of proportion, orientation, and ordered settlement design.