Shloka 6

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

Devanagari script

इत्येवं मानसं तत्राकल्पयत्पुरकल्पवित् मयेन तत्पुरं सृष्टं त्रिपुरं त्विति नः श्रुतम् //

Transliteration

ityevaṃ mānasaṃ tatrākalpayatpurakalpavit mayena tatpuraṃ sṛṣṭaṃ tripuraṃ tviti naḥ śrutam //

Translation

Thus, there the knower of city-planning conceived it in his mind; by Māyā that city was fashioned—this is what we have heard—hence it is called Tripura, the “threefold city.”

Word by Word

• iti evam: thus indeed

• mānasam: mentally, in the mind

• tatra: there

• akalpayat: he devised/arranged

• purakalpavit: one skilled in the canons of city-planning (purakalpa)

• mayena: by Maya (the architect/demiurgic artisan)

• tat: that

• puram: city/fortress

• sṛṣṭam: created/constructed

• tripuram: Tripura, the three cities

• tu: indeed/and

• iti: thus

• naḥ: by us/for us

• śrutam: heard (as tradition).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (narrating to Vaivasvata Manu in the Matsya Purana dialogue frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Maya
• Tripura

Tags

• Vastu Shastra
• Town planning
• Tripura
• Asura architecture
• Puranic lore

FAQs

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

This verse is about creation-by-design: a city is first conceived mentally by a master of purakalpa and then constructed by Maya; it does not describe Pralaya directly.

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

It underscores the ideal that settlements and forts should be planned by competent experts (purakalpavit), implying that a king should employ proper knowledge and skilled artisans when founding cities and defenses.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

It highlights a core Vastuvidya principle: mental conception (mānasa-kalpanā) and codified planning (purakalpa) precede physical construction—here exemplified through Maya building the famed Tripura.