Shloka 21

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

Devanagari script

दिव्यामृतजलां पुण्यां त्रिपथामिति विश्रुताम् तस्या विस्पन्दितं तोयं दिग्गजाः पृथुभिः करैः //

Transliteration

divyāmṛtajalāṃ puṇyāṃ tripathāmiti viśrutām tasyā vispanditaṃ toyaṃ diggajāḥ pṛthubhiḥ karaiḥ //

Translation

That sacred river—renowned as Tripathā, whose waters are divine and nectar-like—has her water set into motion and stirred by the direction-elephants with their broad trunks.

Word by Word

• divya: divine

• amṛta-jalām: having nectar-like water

• puṇyām: holy, merit-bestowing

• tripathām: the ‘three-pathed’ (river flowing through three realms)

• iti: thus

• viśrutām: famed, well-known

• tasyāḥ: of her (that river)

• vispanditam: made to throb/stir, set in motion

• toyam: water

• dig-gajāḥ: elephants of the quarters (mythic guardians of directions)

• pṛthubhiḥ: broad, wide

• karaiḥ: with trunks (lit. ‘hands’)

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in discourse to Vaivasvata Manu, describing sacred cosmology and tirtha-glory)

Entities Mentioned

• Tripathā (Ganga)
• Diggajās (direction-elephants)

Tags

• Sacred Geography
• Ganga Mahatmya
• Cosmology
• Tirtha
• Puranic Imagery

FAQs

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

Indirectly, it reflects a cosmological worldview where divine waters (especially the famed Tripathā) are upheld by mythic cosmic supports (diggajās), emphasizing ordered cosmic structure rather than describing a specific pralaya event.

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

By praising the holiness of Tripathā’s waters, it supports the householder and kingly duty of honoring tīrthas—through pilgrimage, ritual bathing, gifts, and protection of sacred sites—seen in the Matsya Purana as merit-generating and socially stabilizing conduct.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it highlights Tripathā/Gaṅgā as a premier purifying medium for snāna (sacred bathing) and other water-based rites; architecturally, it implies the sanctity of river-adjacent ghāṭas and tīrtha structures, though no direct Vāstu rule is stated in this verse.