Shloka 16

Matsya Purana — Pitṛ Worlds

Devanagari script

मरीचिगर्भा नाम्ना तु लोका मार्तण्डमण्डले पितरो यत्र तिष्ठन्ति हविष्मन्तो ऽङ्गिरःसुताः //

Transliteration

marīcigarbhā nāmnā tu lokā mārtaṇḍamaṇḍale pitaro yatra tiṣṭhanti haviṣmanto 'ṅgiraḥsutāḥ //

Translation

Within the orb of Mārtaṇḍa (the Sun) there is a world named Marīcigarbhā, where the Pitṛs abide—those Haviṣmān Pitṛs who are the sons of Aṅgiras.

Word by Word

• मरीचिगर्भा: Marīcigarbhā (name of a loka/world)

• नाम्ना: by name

• तु: indeed/and

• लोका: worlds/realm

• मार्तण्डमण्डले: in the solar orb/circle of Mārtaṇḍa (the Sun)

• पितरः: the Pitṛs (ancestral beings)

• यत्र: where

• तिष्ठन्ति: stand/abide/dwell

• हविष्मन्तः: Haviṣmān (those associated with havis, sacrificial oblations

• अङ्गिरःसुताः: sons/descendants of Aṅgiras.

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing cosmological realms in the Matsya Purāṇa

Entities Mentioned

• Marīcigarbhā Loka
• Mārtaṇḍa (Sūrya)
• Pitṛs
• Haviṣmān Pitṛs
• Aṅgiras

Tags

• Cosmology
• Pitṛloka
• Sun
• Śrāddha
• Genealogy

FAQs

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

This verse is not describing pralaya; it maps a post-cosmic-order geography, locating a specific Pitṛ-realm (Marīcigarbhā) within the Sun’s sphere, implying an organized cosmos where ancestral beings have fixed abodes.

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

By identifying Pitṛs and their realm, the verse supports the Purāṇic basis for householder duties like śrāddha and offerings of havis; honoring ancestors is framed as connecting properly with the Pitṛ-worlds described in cosmology.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, the key term is “haviṣmantaḥ”—Pitṛs associated with sacrificial oblations—reinforcing the importance of offering havis in śrāddha/yajña; there is no direct Vāstu or temple-architecture rule in this verse.