Shloka 81

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

Devanagari script

चक्रवांश्च गिरिश्रेष्ठो वाराहश्चैव पर्वतः प्राग्ज्यौतिषपुरं चापि जातरूपमयं शुभम् //

Transliteration

cakravāṃśca giriśreṣṭho vārāhaścaiva parvataḥ prāgjyautiṣapuraṃ cāpi jātarūpamayaṃ śubham //

Translation

“(There is) Cakravān, the foremost of mountains; and also the Varāha Mountain; and likewise the auspicious city of Prāgjyotiṣa, resplendent as though made of gold.”

Word by Word

• चक्रवान् (cakravān): Cakravān (a named mountain/peak)

• च (ca): and

• गिरिश्रेष्ठः (giriśreṣṭhaḥ): the best/foremost of mountains

• वाराहः (vārāhaḥ): Varāha (boar-associated, name of a mountain)

• चैव (caiva): and indeed/also

• पर्वतः (parvataḥ): mountain

• प्राग्ज्यौतिषपुरम् (prāgjyautiṣapuram): the city of Prāgjyotiṣa (Pragjyotisha)

• चापि (cāpi): and also

• जातरूपमयम् (jātarūpamayam): made of gold / golden in appearance

• शुभम् (śubham): auspicious, благоприятное

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu (contextual attribution for this section of the Matsya Purana)

Entities Mentioned

• Cakravān (mountain)
• Giriśreṣṭha (epithet: best of mountains)
• Varāha (mountain)
• Prāgjyotiṣapura (city)

Tags

• Tirtha
• Sacred Geography
• Puranic Cities
• Mountains
• Kshetra-Mahatmya

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya directly; it functions as sacred-geographical cataloging, highlighting revered mountains and the auspicious city of Prāgjyotiṣa portrayed as ‘golden,’ a common Purāṇic marker of divine prosperity rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

By praising renowned mountains and a celebrated city, the verse supports the Purāṇic ideal that kings and householders maintain dharma through honoring sacred places—via protection of kṣetras, patronage, pilgrimage, and sustaining prosperity (śubha) in settlements.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The phrase jātarūpamaya (‘golden’/‘as if made of gold’) signals auspiciousness and royal-divine splendor in city description, aligning with Vāstu themes where a well-ordered, prosperous city is characterized by śubha-lakṣaṇas (auspicious qualities), even if no explicit building rule is stated in this particular verse.