Shloka 52

Matsya Purana — Hiranyakashipu’s Boons

Devanagari script

नलिनैः पुण्डरीकैश्च शतपत्त्रैः सुगन्धिभिः रक्तैः कुवलयैर्नीलैः कुमुदैः संवृतानि च //

Transliteration

nalinaiḥ puṇḍarīkaiśca śatapattraiḥ sugandhibhiḥ raktaiḥ kuvalayairnīlaiḥ kumudaiḥ saṃvṛtāni ca //

Translation

And they were covered all around with lotuses—nalina and puṇḍarīka—along with fragrant hundred‑petalled blooms, red and blue kuvalayas, and kumuda water‑lilies.

Word by Word

• नलिनैः (nalinaiḥ): with nalina lotuses

• पुण्डरीकैः (puṇḍarīkaiḥ): with white lotuses (puṇḍarīka)

• च (ca): and

• शतपत्त्रैः (śatapattraiḥ): with hundred‑petalled lotuses

• सुगन्धिभिः (sugandhibhiḥ): fragrant, sweet‑smelling

• रक्तैः (raktaiḥ): red

• कुवलयैः (kuvalayaiḥ): with kuvalaya lotuses/water‑lilies

• नीलैः (nīlaiḥ): blue/dark‑hued

• कुमुदैः (kumudaiḥ): with kumuda lilies (often night‑blooming)

• संवृतानि (saṃvṛtāni): covered, enclosed, filled

• च (ca): also/and

Speaker

• Suta (narratorial voice within the Purana; likely reporting the description as taught in the Matsya Purana’s discourse tradition)

Entities Mentioned

• Nalina (lotus)
• Puṇḍarīka (white lotus)
• Śatapattrā (hundred-petalled lotus)
• Kuvalaya (blue/red water-lily/lotus)
• Kumuda (water-lily)

Tags

• Vastu
• Sacred Waters
• Temple Ponds
• Ritual Purity
• Iconography-Adjunct

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it is a descriptive passage emphasizing auspicious, life-sustaining sacred waters adorned with lotuses—imagery associated with purity, prosperity, and sanctified space rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

By implication, it supports the dharmic ideal of maintaining clean, beautiful water resources—ponds and tanks for public welfare and ritual use—an expected duty of rulers and householders who sponsor temples, gardens, and community waterworks.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The verse highlights the ideal temple-tank or sacred pond environment: water bodies ‘covered’ with auspicious lotus varieties, reinforcing vastu principles of sacred landscaping and the ritual purity of spaces used for bathing, offerings, and temple approach.