Shloka 17
Matsya Purana — Genealogy and Classification of Sacred Fires
इत्येते वै नदीपुत्रा धिष्ण्येषु प्रतिपेदिरे तेषां विहरणीया ये उपस्थेयाश्च ताञ्शृणु विभुः प्रवाहणो ऽग्नीध्रस् तत्रस्था धिष्णवो ऽपरे //
ityete vai nadīputrā dhiṣṇyeṣu pratipedire teṣāṃ viharaṇīyā ye upastheyāśca tāñśṛṇu vibhuḥ pravāhaṇo 'gnīdhras tatrasthā dhiṣṇavo 'pare //
Thus these sons of the river indeed attained their respective dhiṣṇyas (celestial stations). Now hear which among them are to be approached with reverence and which are to be visited or resorted to. There the mighty Pravāhaṇa and Agnīdhra are stationed, along with other beings established in those dhiṣṇyas.
FAQs
This verse is not describing Pralaya directly; it maps post-cosmic-order placement—how specific beings (river-born entities) are assigned to fixed celestial stations (dhiṣṇyas), indicating an organized cosmos rather than dissolution.
It implies discernment in worship and pilgrimage: knowing whom to revere (upastheya) and which sacred stations to visit (viharaṇīya) supports a king’s and householder’s dharmic practice—proper honoring of cosmic authorities and sacred locales.
Ritually, it distinguishes beings who are to be ‘approached/served’ (upastheya) from places or presences ‘fit to be visited’ (viharaṇīya), a cue for planning worship, pilgrimage circuits, and the hierarchy of reverence—ideas that later inform temple/ritual prioritization.