Shloka 40

Matsya Purana — Genealogy of Kaśyapa: Ādityas

Devanagari script

एलापत्त्रमहापद्मधृतराष्ट्रबलाहकाः शङ्खपालमहाशङ्खपुष्पदंष्ट्रशुभाननाः //

Transliteration

elāpattramahāpadmadhṛtarāṣṭrabalāhakāḥ śaṅkhapālamahāśaṅkhapuṣpadaṃṣṭraśubhānanāḥ //

Translation

Elāpattra, Mahāpadma, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Balāhaka, Śaṅkhapāla, Mahāśaṅkha, Puṣpadaṃṣṭra, and Śubhānana—these are among the renowned Nāga lords.

Word by Word

• elāpattraḥ: Elāpattra (a Nāga name)

• mahāpadmaḥ: Mahāpadma (a Nāga name, “Great Lotus”)

• dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ: Dhṛtarāṣṭra (a Nāga name, “supporter of the realm”)

• balāhakaḥ: Balāhaka (a Nāga name, also “rain-cloud”)

• śaṅkhapālaḥ: Śaṅkhapāla (a Nāga name, “protector of the conch”)

• mahāśaṅkhaḥ: Mahāśaṅkha (a Nāga name, “great conch”)

• puṣpadaṃṣṭraḥ: Puṣpadaṃṣṭra (a Nāga name, “flower-fanged”)

• śubhānanaḥ: Śubhānana (a Nāga name, “auspicious-faced”)

• -kāḥ: (they) are / plural listing marker

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing cosmic beings (Nāgas) within the Matsya Purana’s creation/geography frame

Entities Mentioned

• Elāpattra
• Mahāpadma
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Balāhaka
• Śaṅkhapāla
• Mahāśaṅkha
• Puṣpadaṃṣṭra
• Śubhānana
• Nāgas

Tags

• Cosmic Geography
• Nāga Genealogy
• Purāṇic Lists
• Mythic Beings
• Names & Epithets

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it functions as a cosmological catalog, naming prominent Nāga lords who belong to the ordered structure of the universe described in the creation/geography portions of the Purāṇa.

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

Indirectly, it models Purāṇic “knowledge of the world” (loka-vyavasthā): kings and householders are encouraged to learn traditional cosmology and sacred lineages as part of dharma, education, and recitation practices, though no explicit duty is stated here.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple rule is stated in this verse; its ritual relevance is mainly in nāma-smaraṇa (sacred name-recitation) and Purāṇic pāṭha contexts where lists of beings are preserved for traditional memorization and recitation.