Shloka 27

Matsya Purana — Kailasa

Devanagari script

दिवं यास्यन्तु मे पूर्वे गङ्गातोयाप्लुतास्थिकाः तत्र त्रिपथगा देवी प्रथमं तु प्रतिष्ठिता //

Transliteration

divaṃ yāsyantu me pūrve gaṅgātoyāplutāsthikāḥ tatra tripathagā devī prathamaṃ tu pratiṣṭhitā //

Translation

May my departed ancestors—whose bones have been washed by the waters of the Gaṅgā—attain heaven. For there the Goddess Tripathagā (Gaṅgā), who flows through the three realms, was first established.

Word by Word

• divam: to heaven

• yāsyantu: may they go

• me: my

• pūrve: the forefathers/ancestors

• gaṅgā-toya: the water of the Ganga

• āpluta: bathed/washed/immersed

• asthikāḥ: bones/cremation remains

• tatra: there (in that sacred realm/place)

• tripathagā: (she who goes in three paths—heaven, earth, netherworld) Ganga

• devī: goddess

• prathamam: first/foremost

• tu: indeed/and

• pratiṣṭhitā: established/installed/firmly set.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu on sacred rites and merit)

Entities Mentioned

• Gaṅgā
• Tripathagā Devī
• Pūrvāḥ (ancestors/Pitṛs)
• Divam (Svarga)

Tags

• Ganga Mahatmya
• Antyeshti
• Asthi-visarjana
• Pitṛ-kārya
• Tirtha

FAQs

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

This verse is not a Pralaya narrative; it teaches salvific merit through Gaṅgā-contact—especially washing/immersing the cremation remains—leading the Pitṛs toward heavenly attainment.

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

It supports pitṛ-dharma: a householder (and by extension a king as exemplar) should perform ancestral rites properly, including respectful handling of asthi (bones) and offering them to a sacred tīrtha like the Gaṅgā for the ancestors’ welfare.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual rather than architectural: asthi-snāna/asthi-visarjana in Gaṅgā is presented as a powerful rite, grounded in Gaṅgā’s status as Tripathagā—sanctifying across the three worlds.