Shloka 51

Matsya Purana — Hiranyakashipu’s Boons

Devanagari script

नातिशीतानि नोष्णानि तत्र तत्र सरांसि च अपश्यत्सर्वतीर्थानि सभायां तस्य स प्रभुः //

Transliteration

nātiśītāni noṣṇāni tatra tatra sarāṃsi ca apaśyatsarvatīrthāni sabhāyāṃ tasya sa prabhuḥ //

Translation

There he saw, here and there, lakes whose waters were neither excessively cold nor hot; and that Lord beheld all the sacred fords (tīrthas) while in that assembly hall.

Word by Word

• na ati-śītāni: not excessively cold

• na uṣṇāni: not hot (not excessively warm)

• tatra tatra: here and there, in various places

• sarāṃsi: lakes, ponds, natural reservoirs

• ca: and

• apaśyat: he saw, he beheld

• sarva-tīrthāni: all the tīrthas, all sacred pilgrimage fords/places

• sabhāyām: in the assembly, in the hall/court

• tasya: of him, of that (king/person)

• saḥ: he

• prabhuḥ: the lord, the sovereign, the eminent one.

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) describing events (contextually within the Matsya Purana’s tīrtha narration)

Entities Mentioned

• Tīrthas
• Sabhā (assembly hall)
• Sarāṃsi (lakes)

Tags

• Tirtha
• Sacred Geography
• Pilgrimage
• Ritual Purity
• Matsya Purana

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it focuses on sacred geography—lakes of balanced temperature and the vision/recognition of many tīrthas—highlighting the Purāṇic mapping of holy places rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

By emphasizing tīrthas and auspicious waters, it supports the Matsya Purana’s broader ethic that rulers and householders should uphold dharma through pilgrimage, ritual bathing, and honoring sacred sites—acts believed to purify and reinforce social-religious order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, the verse points to tīrtha-snāna (bathing at holy waters) and the sanctity of well-situated lakes; architecturally, it indirectly echoes Vāstu ideals of integrating clean, temperate water-bodies (sarāṃsi) near settlements or sacred precincts.