Shloka 10

Matsya Purana — Kārtavīrya Arjuna’s Solar Boon and the Genealogy from Kroṣṭu to the Yādava Lines

Devanagari script

ग्रामांस्तथाश्रमांश्चैव घोषाणि नगराणि च तपोवनानि रम्याणि वनान्युपवनानि च //

Transliteration

grāmāṃstathāśramāṃścaiva ghoṣāṇi nagarāṇi ca tapovanāni ramyāṇi vanānyupavanāni ca //

Translation

“(He described) villages and hermitages as well; pastoral hamlets and cities; delightful forests of austerity (tapovana), and also forests and pleasure-groves (upavana).”

Word by Word

• ग्रामान् (grāmān): villages

• तथा (tathā): likewise/also

• आश्रमान् (āśramān): hermitages/ascetic retreats

• च एव (ca eva): and indeed/also

• घोषाणि (ghoṣāṇi): cowherd settlements/pastoral hamlets

• नगराणि (nagarāṇi): towns/cities

• च (ca): and

• तपोवनानि (tapovanāni): forests devoted to austerities/penance-groves

• रम्याणि (ramyāṇi): delightful/pleasing

• वनानि (vanāni): forests/woods

• उपवनानि (upavanāni): groves/parks/pleasure-gardens

• च (ca): and.

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) conveying the Matsya Purana’s description of settlement types and sacred landscapes

Tags

• Vastu Shastra
• Settlement Types
• Sacred Groves
• Tapovana
• Town Planning

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya; it classifies inhabited and sacred landscapes—villages, cities, pastoral hamlets, hermitages, and groves—suggesting an ordered world suited for dharma rather than dissolution.

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

By naming grāma, nagara, and ghoṣa alongside āśrama and tapovana, the verse implies a ruler’s and householder’s duty to protect varied communities—civic, pastoral, and ascetic—and to maintain forests and groves that support livelihood, worship, and spiritual practice.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The list functions like a Vastu-oriented taxonomy of sites: settlements (grāma/nagara), pastoral zones (ghoṣa), and sacred-ritual landscapes (āśrama/tapovana/upavana), indicating that planning and patronage should include not only buildings but also protected groves and penance-forests conducive to rites and tapas.