Shloka 42

Matsya Purana — Hiranyakashipu’s Boons

Devanagari script

नीलपीतसितश्यामैः कृष्णैर्लोहितकैरपि अवतानैस्तथा गुल्मैर् मञ्जरीशतधारिभिः //

Transliteration

nīlapītasitaśyāmaiḥ kṛṣṇairlohitakairapi avatānaistathā gulmair mañjarīśatadhāribhiḥ //

Translation

With ornaments and arrangements in blue, yellow, white, and dark hues—also in black and red—together with festoons and clustered shrubs, bearing streams of hundreds of flower-bunches.

Word by Word

• नील: blue

• पीत: yellow

• सित: white

• श्याम: dark/blue-black

• कृष्णैः: with black (tones)

• लोहितकैः: with red (tones)

• अपि: also

• अवतानैः: with festoons/garlands/pendant decorative hangings

• तथा: and also

• गुल्मैः: with clumps/bushes/shrubs (decorative plantings)

• मञ्जरी: flower-cluster/blossom-spray

• शत: hundred(s)

• धारिभिः: bearing/holding, having as streams or cascades

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, within the Matsya Purana’s Vastu/Pratima discourse)

Tags

• Vastu Shastra
• Temple decoration
• Iconography
• Ritual aesthetics
• Color symbolism

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya; it focuses on auspicious visual arrangement—colors, garlands, shrubs, and abundant flower-clusters—used in sacred/ritual architectural decoration.

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

It supports the duty of maintaining dharmic worship and public rites: a king or householder sponsors and arranges sacred spaces properly—using prescribed colors and floral adornments—to uphold ritual order and communal merit.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

It specifies decorative elements for a sacred setting—multi-colored schemes, hanging festoons, planted/placed shrub-clusters, and profuse flower-bunch cascades—indicating how a temple/mandapa area should be aesthetically and ritually adorned.