Shloka 25

Matsya Purana — Pitṛ Worlds

Devanagari script

लोकास्तु मानसा नाम ब्रह्माण्डोपरि संस्थिताः येषां तु मानसी कन्या नर्मदा नाम विश्रुता //

Transliteration

lokāstu mānasā nāma brahmāṇḍopari saṃsthitāḥ yeṣāṃ tu mānasī kanyā narmadā nāma viśrutā //

Translation

There are worlds known as the Mānasas, situated above the cosmic egg (Brahmāṇḍa). From them was born a mind-born daughter, renowned by the name Narmadā.

Word by Word

• lokāḥ: worlds

• tu: indeed/and

• mānasāḥ: called Mānasas (mind-born/mental worlds)

• nāma: by name

• brahmāṇḍa-upari: above the Brahmāṇḍa (cosmic egg)

• saṃsthitāḥ: situated/established

• yeṣām: of whom/whose

• tu: and indeed

• mānasī: mind-born/mental

• kanyā: daughter/maiden

• narmadā: Narmadā (the river-goddess/river)

• nāma: named

• viśrutā: famous/renowned.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in discourse to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Brahmāṇḍa
• Mānasā lokāḥ
• Narmadā

Tags

• Sacred Geography
• Cosmology
• River Goddess
• Creation
• Puranic Worlds

FAQs

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

It reflects cosmological mapping rather than Pralaya: it locates “Mānasā” worlds above the Brahmāṇḍa and presents Narmadā as a mind-born (mānasī) manifestation, implying supra-material origins within creation.

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

Indirectly, it elevates Narmadā’s sanctity by describing her transcendent origin; in Matsya Purana ethics this supports royal/householder duties of tīrtha-respect—supporting pilgrimage routes, protecting rivers, and performing purificatory rites connected with sacred waters.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The verse itself is not Vāstu-technical, but it grounds ritual significance: Narmadā’s divine origin supports river-based rites (snāna, tarpaṇa, tīrtha-yātrā) and the later Puranic practice of establishing ghāṭas, shrines, and tīrtha-kṣetras along her banks.