Shloka 4

Matsya Purana — Kailasa

Devanagari script

मन्दोदकं नाम सरः पयस्तु दधिसंनिभम् तस्मात् प्रवहते दिव्या नदी मन्दाकिनी शुभा //

Transliteration

mandodakaṃ nāma saraḥ payastu dadhisaṃnibham tasmāt pravahate divyā nadī mandākinī śubhā //

Translation

There is a lake called Mandodaka, whose water is like curd in appearance; from it flows the divine river Mandākinī, auspicious and sacred.

Word by Word

• मन्दोदकम् (mandodakam): Mandodaka (name of the lake)

• नाम (nāma): named/called

• सरः (saraḥ): lake

• पयः (payaḥ): water

• तु (tu): indeed/and

• दधि-संनिभम् (dadhi-saṃnibham): resembling curd (milky-white)

• तस्मात् (tasmāt): from that (lake)

• प्रवहते (pravahate): flows forth

• दिव्या (divyā): divine

• नदी (nadī): river

• मन्दाकिनी (mandākinī): Mandakini (name of the river)

• शुभा (śubhā): auspicious, beneficent

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) / Purana narrator describing sacred geography (tirtha context)

Entities Mentioned

• Mandodaka
• Mandakini

Tags

• Tirtha
• Sacred Rivers
• Pilgrimage
• Puranic Geography
• Mahatmya

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it is a sacred-geography note describing a holy lake and the auspicious, divine river that flows from it.

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

Indirectly, it supports the Purāṇic ethic of tīrtha-yātrā and reverence for sacred waters—practices recommended for householders and rulers for merit, purification, and public religious support.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it highlights a sanctified water-source suitable for स्नान (snāna, sacred bathing) and offerings; such rivers and lakes are also traditional sites for establishing ghāṭas, shrines, and pilgrimage infrastructure.