Shloka 33

Matsya Purana — Division of Bhārata-varṣa

Devanagari script

सर्वाः पुण्यजलाः पुण्याः सर्वगाश्च समुद्रगाः विश्वस्य मातरः सर्वाः सर्वपापहराः शुभाः //

Transliteration

sarvāḥ puṇyajalāḥ puṇyāḥ sarvagāśca samudragāḥ viśvasya mātaraḥ sarvāḥ sarvapāpaharāḥ śubhāḥ //

Translation

All these rivers are holy waters and are themselves sacred; they range everywhere and flow into the ocean. All of them are the mothers of the world—auspicious, and destroyers of every sin.

Word by Word

• sarvāḥ: all (rivers)

• puṇya-jalāḥ: having sacred water / holy waters

• puṇyāḥ: meritorious, holy

• sarva-gāḥ: going everywhere / all-pervading (in their reach)

• ca: and

• samudra-gāḥ: going to the ocean, ocean-bound

• viśvasya: of the world

• mātaraḥ: mothers

• sarvāḥ: all

• sarva-pāpa-harāḥ: removers of all sins

• śubhāḥ: auspicious, beneficent

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (teaching Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Sacred rivers
• Ocean (Samudra)
• The world (Viśva)

Tags

• Tirtha
• Rivers
• Purification
• Punya
• Dharma

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it frames rivers as universal, life-sustaining “mothers of the world,” emphasizing their cosmic beneficence and purifying power rather than dissolution.

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

It supports dharmic life through purification: a householder (and a king guiding public religion) is encouraged to honor tīrthas—performing स्नान (ritual bathing), offerings, and ethical conduct—since sacred waters are presented as sin-removing and auspicious.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it underlines the importance of water in स्नान, आचमन, and tīrtha observances; by extension, it supports placing wells, tanks, and river-ghāṭas near temples in line with Puranic ritual ecology (though no direct Vāstu rule is stated in this verse).