Shloka 50

Matsya Purana — Kailasa

Devanagari script

पाञ्चालान्कौशिकान्मत्स्यान् मागधाङ्गांस्तथैव च ब्रह्मोत्तरांश्च वङ्गांश्च ताम्रलिप्तांस्तथैव च //

Transliteration

pāñcālānkauśikānmatsyān māgadhāṅgāṃstathaiva ca brahmottarāṃśca vaṅgāṃśca tāmraliptāṃstathaiva ca //

Translation

He also mentioned the Pāñcālas, the Kauśikas, the Matsyas, and likewise the Māgadhas and the Aṅgas; as well as the Brahmottaras, the Vaṅgas, and the people of Tāmraliptā.

Word by Word

• पाञ्चालान् (pāñcālān): the Pāñcālas (a people/region)

• कौशिकान् (kauśikān): the Kauśikas (a lineage/people)

• मत्स्यान् (matsyān): the Matsyas (a people/region)

• मागध- (māgadha): Magadha (people/region)

• अङ्गान् (aṅgān): Aṅga (people/region)

• तथा एव च (tathaiva ca): and likewise/also

• ब्रह्मोत्तरान् (brahmottarān): the Brahmottaras (a people/region, lit. ‘northern of Brahmā/Brahma-land’ as a toponymic)

• वङ्गान् (vaṅgān): Vaṅga/Bengal (people/region)

• ताम्रलिप्तान् (tāmraliptān): Tāmraliptā/Tamralipti (people/region/port-city)

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) addressing Vaivasvata Manu (context: cataloguing lands/peoples as part of puranic geography)

Entities Mentioned

• Pāñcāla
• Kauśika
• Matsya (Janapada)
• Magadha
• Aṅga
• Brahmottara
• Vaṅga
• Tāmraliptā (Tamralipti)

Tags

• Puranic Geography
• Janapadas
• Ancient Indian Regions
• Genealogy Context
• Matsya Purana Catalogues

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya directly; it functions as a geographic-ethnographic catalogue, naming janapadas (regions/peoples) that constitute the inhabited world described in the Purana.

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

By mapping recognized regions and peoples, the text supports a king’s understanding of realm, neighbors, and cultural-polity divisions—useful for governance, diplomacy, pilgrimage patronage, and dharmic administration across janapadas.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vastu or ritual procedure is stated; the significance is indirect—place-names like Tāmraliptā (a major port) and Vaṅga can contextualize where temples, tīrthas, and ritual networks were historically patronized in the Purāṇic imagination.