Shloka 16

Matsya Purana — Maya’s Nectar-Reservoir in Tripura and the Revival of the Slain in the Tripur...

Devanagari script

तां वापीं सृज्य स मयो गङ्गामिव महेश्वरः तस्यां प्रक्षालयामास विद्युन्मालिनमादितः //

Transliteration

tāṃ vāpīṃ sṛjya sa mayo gaṅgāmiva maheśvaraḥ tasyāṃ prakṣālayāmāsa vidyunmālinamāditaḥ //

Translation

Having created that stepwell, Maya—like Maheśvara bringing forth the Gaṅgā—first bathed and purified Vidyunmālin in its waters.

Word by Word

• ताम् (tām): that

• वापीम् (vāpīm): stepwell/reservoir

• सृज्य (sṛjya): having created/constructed

• सः (saḥ): he

• मयः (mayaḥ): Maya (the artisan/architect)

• गङ्गाम् (gaṅgām): the river Gaṅgā

• इव (iva): like/as if

• महेश्वरः (maheśvaraḥ): Maheśvara (Śiva)

• तस्याम् (tasyām): in it/therein

• प्रक्षालयामास (prakṣālayāmāsa): washed/bathed/purified

• विद्युन्मालिनम् (vidyunmālinam): Vidyunmālin (a named being)

• आदितः (āditaḥ): at first/initially.

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating to the sages), within the Matsya Purana’s Vastuvidyā narrative frame

Entities Mentioned

• Maya
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Gaṅgā
• Vidyunmālin

Tags

• Vastuvidya
• Vāpī
• Ritual purification
• Sacred water
• Puranic architecture

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it emphasizes sacred creation and purification—constructing a water-reservoir and using it for an initial ritual bath, symbolically likened to Śiva’s association with Gaṅgā.

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

It supports the Purāṇic ethic of public welfare (puṇya) through building water-works (vāpī), and it highlights ritual cleanliness—suggesting that such structures are not merely utilitarian but also dharmic and consecratory in use.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Architecturally, it centers on the vāpī (stepwell/reservoir) as a key Vastu element; ritually, it stresses first-use purification/bathing (prakṣālana) as part of commissioning or sanctifying the water-structure.