Shloka 76

Matsya Purana — Division of Bhārata-varṣa

Devanagari script

उत्सेधो वृक्षराजस्य दिवम् आवृत्य तिष्ठति तस्य जम्बूफलरसो नदी भूत्वा प्रसर्पति //

Transliteration

utsedho vṛkṣarājasya divam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati tasya jambūphalaraso nadī bhūtvā prasarpati //

Translation

The towering height of the king of trees rises and stands, as though covering the sky; and the juice of its jambū fruits pours forth, becoming a river and spreading out.

Word by Word

• उत्सेधः (utsedhaḥ): height, lofty elevation

• वृक्षराजस्य (vṛkṣarājasya): of the king of trees (the great Jambu tree)

• दिवम् (divam): the heaven/sky

• आवृत्य (āvṛtya): having covered, enveloping

• तिष्ठति (tiṣṭhati): stands, remains

• तस्य (tasya): of it

• जम्बूफलरसः (jambū-phala-rasaḥ): the juice/sap of the jambu fruits

• नदी (nadī): a river

• भूत्वा (bhūtvā): having become

• प्रसर्पति (prasarpati): flows forth, spreads, courses onward

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu (context: cosmographic narration)

Entities Mentioned

• Jambu tree (Vṛkṣarāja)
• Jambu fruit (Jambūphala)
• Jāmbūnadī (river formed from jambu-juice)

Tags

• Cosmography
• Jambudvipa
• Sacred Rivers
• Puranic Geography
• Mythic Botany

FAQs

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

This verse is cosmographic rather than pralaya-centered: it describes the wondrous, world-structuring features of Jambūdvīpa—especially the immense Jambu tree and a river formed from its fruit-juice—showing how Puranic geography explains the origins of sacred rivers and substances.

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

Indirectly, it supports dharma by grounding human life in a sacred cosmic order: kings and householders are encouraged to honor tīrthas (sacred waters) and uphold rituals and charity connected with rivers, since such waters are portrayed as divinely originated and cosmically significant.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu rule appears in this verse, but it reinforces ritual geography: rivers are sacred resources for purification (snāna), offerings (arghya), and consecrations (abhiṣeka), which are central to temple ritual practice in the broader Matsya Purana tradition.