Shloka 20

Matsya Purana — Dhruva as Cosmic Pivot: Motions of Sun–Moon–Planets

Devanagari script

षष्ठः परिवहो नाम वायुस्तेषां परायणः यौ ऽसौ बिभर्ति भगवान् गङ्गामाकाशगोचराम् //

Transliteration

ṣaṣṭhaḥ parivaho nāma vāyusteṣāṃ parāyaṇaḥ yau 'sau bibharti bhagavān gaṅgāmākāśagocarām //

Translation

The sixth wind is called Parivaha, the ultimate support among them; it is that divine one which upholds the heavenly Gaṅgā as she moves through the sky.

Word by Word

• षष्ठः (ṣaṣṭhaḥ): the sixth

• परिवहः (parivahaḥ): Parivaha (name of a cosmic wind)

• नाम (nāma): named/called

• वायुः (vāyuḥ): wind

• तेषाम् (teṣām): of them (of those winds)

• परायणः (parāyaṇaḥ): chief refuge/ultimate support, final resort

• यः (yaḥ): which/who

• असौ (asau): that very (one)

• बिभर्ति (bibharti): bears, supports, sustains

• भगवान् (bhagavān): the divine one, the Lord-like power

• गङ्गाम् (gaṅgām): the river Gaṅgā

• आकाशगोचराम् (ākāśagocarām): moving in the sky, having the sky as her course

Speaker

• Likely Sūta (narrator) conveying cosmological teaching within the Matsya Purana’s discourse tradition

Entities Mentioned

• Parivaha (cosmic wind)
• Vayu (wind principle)
• Ganga (celestial river)

Tags

• Cosmology
• Sacred Geography
• Ganga
• Puranic Physics
• Lokas

FAQs

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

It highlights cosmic order: even celestial forces like the sky-moving Gaṅgā are sustained by a regulating wind-principle (Parivaha), implying a structured universe that persists through cycles, including Pralaya and re-creation.

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

By analogy, it presents the ideal of “support”: just as Parivaha sustains the heavenly Gaṅgā, a king sustains social order (dharma) and a householder sustains dependents and ritual continuity—upholding what is entrusted to them.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it reinforces Gaṅgā’s transcendent sanctity (not merely terrestrial), supporting high-intent themes like sacred-water rites (snāna, ācamana, abhiṣeka). Architecturally, it indirectly supports temple-water symbolism (tīrtha, kuṇḍa) as reflections of cosmic waters.