Shloka 23

Matsya Purana — Origin of Soma

Devanagari script

ततः समाप्ते ऽवभृथे तद्रूपालोकनेच्छवः कामबाणाभितप्ताङ्ग्यो नव देव्यः सिषेविरे //

Transliteration

tataḥ samāpte 'vabhṛthe tadrūpālokanecchavaḥ kāmabāṇābhitaptāṅgyo nava devyaḥ siṣevire //

Translation

Then, when the concluding avabhṛtha bath was completed, the nine divine ladies—eager to behold his form, their bodies inflamed by the arrows of Kāma—approached and attended upon him.

Word by Word

• ततः (tataḥ): then

• समाप्ते (samāpte): when completed

• अवभृथे (avabhṛthe): in/after the avabhṛtha, the concluding ritual bath

• तद्रूप-आलोकन-इच्छवः (tadrūpa-ālokana-icchavaḥ): desiring to see that (his) form

• काम-बाण-अभितप्त-अङ्ग्यः (kāma-bāṇa-abhitapta-aṅgyaḥ): whose limbs were scorched/afflicted by the arrows of Kāma (passion)

• नव (nava): nine

• देव्यः (devyaḥ): goddesses/divine women

• सिषेविरे (siṣevire): they served/attended upon

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) describing the episode within the Matsya Purana’s ritual narrative

Entities Mentioned

• Avabhṛtha
• Kāma

Tags

• Yajna
• Avabhṛtha
• RitualBath
• Kama
• PuranicNarrative

FAQs

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

This verse does not address Pralaya; it focuses on the completion of a ritual cycle marked by the avabhṛtha bath and the ensuing narrative episode.

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

It highlights yajña-śeṣa conduct: after completing a rite (signaled by avabhṛtha), one returns to social and ethical life where self-restraint and dharma guide responses to desire and attraction.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, avabhṛtha is the formal concluding bath that seals the sacrifice; the verse uses it as a narrative hinge indicating the rite’s completion before subsequent events unfold.