Shloka 51

Matsya Purana — Kailasa

Devanagari script

एताञ्जनपदानार्यान् गङ्गा भावयते शुभा ततः प्रतिहता विन्ध्ये प्रविष्टा दक्षिणोदधिम् //

Transliteration

etāñjanapadānāryān gaṅgā bhāvayate śubhā tataḥ pratihatā vindhye praviṣṭā dakṣiṇodadhim //

Translation

This auspicious Gaṅgā sanctifies these noble countries; then, being checked by the Vindhya range, she entered the Southern Ocean.

Word by Word

• etān: these

• janapadān: countries/regions

• āryān: noble/Ārya (cultured) peoples/lands

• gaṅgā: the river Gaṅgā

• bhāvayate: purifies, sanctifies, causes to flourish

• śubhā: auspicious, beneficent

• tataḥ: then, thereafter

• pratihatā: obstructed, checked

• vindhye: at/by the Vindhya (mountains)

• praviṣṭā: entered

• dakṣiṇa-udadhim: the southern ocean

Speaker

• Suta (Purana-narrator) describing sacred geography (tirtha-mahatmya style narration)

Entities Mentioned

• Gaṅgā
• Vindhya
• Dakṣiṇodadhi (Southern Ocean)

Tags

• Tirtha
• Sacred Rivers
• Sacred Geography
• Purification
• Ganga Mahatmya

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya; it presents sacred geography—Gaṅgā’s purifying power and her terrestrial course being diverted at the Vindhya before reaching the Southern Ocean.

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

By portraying Gaṅgā as a purifier of lands, it supports the Purāṇic ethic that householders and rulers should uphold tīrtha-culture—protect rivers, sponsor pilgrimages/ritual bathing, and maintain public dharma through care of sacred waterways.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it underlines Gaṅgā’s role in purification (snāna, ācamana, and consecratory uses of sacred water). Architecturally, it implies why ghāṭas, shrines, and tīrtha-infrastructure are established along revered river courses.