Shloka 8

Matsya Purana — Indra Sends Soma to Battle: Frost-Weapon

Devanagari script

ओषधीशः क्रियायोनिर् हरशेखरभाक्तथा शीतांशुरमृताधारश् चपलः श्वेतवाहनः //

Transliteration

oṣadhīśaḥ kriyāyonir haraśekharabhāktathā śītāṃśuramṛtādhāraś capalaḥ śvetavāhanaḥ //

Translation

He is the Lord of medicinal herbs; the very source from which sacred rites arise; the One who is worn upon Hara’s crest; the cool-rayed Moon; the support and repository of ambrosia; the ever-moving (swift) one; and the deity who rides a white vehicle.

Word by Word

• oṣadhī-īśaḥ: lord of herbs/medicinal plants

• kriyā-yoniḥ: source/womb of ritual action (sacrificial and sacred rites)

• hara-śekhara-bhāk: the one who is borne on Hara (Śiva)’s head/crest (i.e., the Moon adorning Śiva)

• tathā: and also

• śīta-aṃśuḥ: cool-rayed one (the Moon)

• amṛta-ādhāraḥ: support/receptacle of nectar (amṛta)

• capalaḥ: moving, swift, changeful (in phases)

• śveta-vāhanaḥ: one whose vehicle is white (white mount/chariot).

Speaker

• Likely Suta (narrative recitation) presenting a devotional list of divine epithets; specific interlocutors not explicit in this single verse.

Entities Mentioned

• Hara (Shiva)
• Chandra (Moon)
• Amrita (nectar)

Tags

• Stotra
• Iconography
• Devata-nama
• Ritual
• Puranic theology

FAQs

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

It does not directly describe Pralaya; instead, it praises a cosmic regulator (the Moon) linked with herbs, cooling influence, and the amṛta motif—principles that sustain life and ritual order between cycles.

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

By calling the deity the “source of rites” and “lord of herbs,” the verse supports the householder-kingly ideal of maintaining yajña, seasonal observances, healing traditions, and societal welfare aligned with cosmic time (lunar phases).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, these are japa-worthy epithets used in stotra and worship; iconographically, “Hara’s crest” points to the standard depiction of the Moon on Śiva’s matted hair, guiding temple imagery and consecration descriptions.