Shloka 66

Matsya Purana — Narasimha’s Victory over Hiraṇyakaśipu and the Catalogue of Apocalyptic Omens

Devanagari script

पत्तनं कोशकरणम् ऋषिवीरजनाकरम् मागधाश्च महाग्रामा मुण्डाः शुङ्गास्तथैव च //

Transliteration

pattanaṃ kośakaraṇam ṛṣivīrajanākaram māgadhāśca mahāgrāmā muṇḍāḥ śuṅgāstathaiva ca //

Translation

A ‘pattana’ (market-town) is a maker of treasury revenue, a gathering-place of sages and heroes; so too are the Magadhas—great villages—and likewise the Muṇḍas and the Śuṅgas.

Word by Word

• पत्तनम् (pattanam): a town/port/market-town

• कोशकरणम् (kośa-karaṇam): producing the treasury, revenue-generating

• ऋषि (ṛṣi): sage

• वीर (vīra): hero/valiant man

• जन (jana): people

• आकरम् (ākaram): mine/source/abode, gathering-place

• मागधाः (māgadhāḥ): the Magadhas (people/region of Magadha)

• च (ca): and

• महाग्रामाः (mahāgrāmāḥ): great villages/large rural settlements

• मुण्डाः (muṇḍāḥ): the Muṇḍas (a named people/tribal group)

• शुङ्गाः (śuṅgāḥ): the Śuṅgas (a named people/dynasty)

• तथैव (tathaiva): likewise

• च (ca): and

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu (context: instructional discourse on settlement types and polity/regions)

Entities Mentioned

• Pattana
• Kosha (royal treasury)
• Magadha (Magadhas)
• Muṇḍas
• Śuṅgas

Tags

• Vastuvidya
• Town-Planning
• Polity
• Janapadas
• Matsya Purana Vastu Shastra tips

FAQs

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

This verse does not address Pralaya; it is administrative and geographic, describing settlement types and named peoples/regions in the context of governance and habitation.

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

It frames the pattana as a treasury-producing hub and a center of distinguished people, implying a king’s duty to found, protect, and regulate towns that sustain the kośa (state revenue) and support learned and martial communities.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Architecturally, it signals the Vastuvidya idea that settlements are categorized by function—especially economic function (kośa-karaṇa). The verse is more about settlement typology than temple ritual, but it underpins planning priorities for towns versus great villages.