Shloka 76

Matsya Purana — Kailasa

Devanagari script

आयतास्ते महाशैलाः समुद्रं दक्षिणं प्रति चक्रमैनाकयोर्मध्ये दिवि सन् दक्षिणापथे //

Transliteration

āyatāste mahāśailāḥ samudraṃ dakṣiṇaṃ prati cakramainākayormadhye divi san dakṣiṇāpathe //

Translation

Those great mountain ranges stretch toward the southern ocean; and in Dakṣiṇāpatha, as though standing in the sky, they lie between Cakra and Maināka.

Word by Word

• āyatāḥ: extended, stretched out

• te: those

• mahā-śailāḥ: great mountains

• samudram: the ocean

• dakṣiṇam: southern

• prati: toward

• cakra-mainākayoḥ: of Cakra and Maināka (two named mountains)

• madhye: in the middle/between

• divi: in the sky/heaven (aloft)

• san: being, situated

• dakṣiṇāpathe: on the southern route/region (Dakṣiṇāpatha)

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) describing the Matsya Purana’s bhuvanakośa (cosmography) account

Entities Mentioned

• Dakṣiṇāpatha
• Samudra (Southern Ocean)
• Cakra (mountain)
• Maināka (mountain)

Tags

• Bhuvanakosha
• Sacred Geography
• Mountains
• Dakshinapatha
• Cosmography

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it belongs to the Matsya Purana’s cosmographic mapping of the world, describing how mountain ranges are oriented toward the southern ocean within Dakṣiṇāpatha.

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

Indirectly, such geographic catalogues underpin pilgrimage routes, regional identities, and the idea of dharmic space; a king’s duty includes protecting territories and sacred routes, while householders use such knowledge to orient travel, vows, and tīrtha-observances.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The verse does not give direct Vāstu rules, but its emphasis on direction (south/Dakṣiṇāpatha) reflects the broader Purāṇic habit of linking ritual and sacred activity to orientation—useful background for Vāstu-informed site selection and directional sanctity.