Shloka 58

Matsya Purana — Kailasa

Devanagari script

तोमरान्प्लावयती च हंसमार्गान्समूहकान् पूर्वान्देशांश्च सेवन्ती भित्त्वा सा बहुधा गिरिम् कर्णप्रावरणान्प्राप्य गता साश्वमुखानपि //

Transliteration

tomarānplāvayatī ca haṃsamārgānsamūhakān pūrvāndeśāṃśca sevantī bhittvā sā bahudhā girim karṇaprāvaraṇānprāpya gatā sāśvamukhānapi //

Translation

It floods the Tomara lands and the clustered routes known as the Haṃsa-paths; moving through the eastern countries, it repeatedly cleaves the mountain range in many places. Reaching the Karṇaprāvaraṇa region, it then goes on even to the Aśvamukha country as well.

Word by Word

• tomarān: the Tomara regions/people

• plāvayatī: flooding, inundating

• ca: and

• haṃsa-mārgān: the ‘Haṃsa’ routes/paths (pilgrim or travel routes)

• samūhakān: in clusters, grouped together

• pūrvān: eastern

• deśān: countries/regions

• ca: and

• sevantī: traversing, frequenting, passing through

• bhittvā: having split/cleft, having broken through

• sā: it/that (river or moving current described in context)

• bahudhā: in many ways/at many points

• girim: the mountain (range)

• karṇa-prāvaraṇān: Karṇaprāvaraṇa (a toponym/region-name)

• prāpya: having reached

• gatā: goes, proceeds

• sāśva-mukhān: Aśvamukha (a toponym, lit. ‘horse-faced’)

• api: also/even

Speaker

• Suta (narratorial description within the Matsya Purana’s geographic account; framed as instruction to Manu in the wider dialogue tradition)

Entities Mentioned

• Tomara
• Haṃsamārga
• Pūrvadeśa (Eastern regions)
• Karṇaprāvaraṇa
• Aśvamukha

Tags

• Sacred Geography
• Pilgrimage Routes
• River Course
• Toponyms
• Matsya Purana Geography

FAQs

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

This verse is not describing cosmic Pralaya; it describes a powerful flowing course (likely a river/current) that inundates regions and cuts through mountains, reflecting Puranic sacred geography rather than universal dissolution.

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

Indirectly, it supports dharma through knowledge of regions, routes, and boundaries—useful for governance (protecting travel corridors, managing floods and terrain) and for householders undertaking tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage) with awareness of established paths.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The verse itself is geographic, but such route-and-region mapping is commonly used to situate tīrthas and temple sites; in Vastu-oriented sections, knowing rivers, mountain passes, and regional flow patterns informs auspicious site selection and practical planning.