Shloka 57

Matsya Purana — Glory of Tīrtha-Śrāddha: Best Times

Devanagari script

जामदग्न्यस्य तत्तीर्थं क्रमादायातमुत्तमम् प्रतीकस्य भयाद्भिन्नं यत्र गोदावरी नदी //

Transliteration

jāmadagnyasya tattīrthaṃ kramādāyātamuttamam pratīkasya bhayādbhinnaṃ yatra godāvarī nadī //

Translation

That excellent sacred ford of Jāmadagnya (Paraśurāma) came into being there in due course; and there the river Godāvarī, out of fear of Pratīka, split apart and flowed in divided streams.

Word by Word

• जामदग्न्यस्य: of Jāmadagnya (Paraśurāma)

• तत्-तीर्थम्: that sacred bathing-place/ford (tīrtha)

• क्रमात्: in due course, gradually, according to sequence

• आयातम्: arrived, came into manifestation, came to be

• उत्तमम्: supreme, excellent

• प्रतीकस्य: of Pratīka (a named being/personage)

• भयात्: from fear

• भिन्नम्: split, divided, rent asunder

• यत्र: where

• गोदावरी: the Godāvarī (river)

• नदी: river

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) reporting the Matsya Purāṇa’s tīrtha description (dialogue-frame context: Matsya–Manu narrative elsewhere, but this verse functions as narrator-led tīrtha-mahātmya).

Entities Mentioned

• Jāmadagnya (Paraśurāma)
• Godāvarī
• Pratīka

Tags

• Tirtha
• Godavari
• Parasurama
• Sacred Geography
• Pilgrimage

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it is a tīrtha-mahātmya statement explaining how a specific sacred ford associated with Jāmadagnya is located at a dramatic point of the Godāvarī, described as having “split apart” due to fear of Pratīka.

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

Indirectly, it supports the Purāṇic ethic of dharma through pilgrimage: kings and householders are encouraged to honor tīrthas and sacred rivers, perform bathing/offerings there, and uphold reverence for rishis and holy sites—acts treated as merit-generating and socially stabilizing.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual takeaway is tīrtha-identification: the verse marks a specific Godāvarī location as a sanctified bathing/ritual ford linked to Jāmadagnya; it implies prescribed tīrtha practices (snāna, tarpaṇa, dāna) rather than temple architecture rules.