Shloka 11

Matsya Purana — Prayaga Mahatmya: Trimurti Presence

Devanagari script

यस्मिञ्जुह्वन्स्वकं पापं नरकं च न पश्यति एवं ब्रह्मा च विष्णुश्च प्रयागे स महेश्वरः //

Transliteration

yasmiñjuhvansvakaṃ pāpaṃ narakaṃ ca na paśyati evaṃ brahmā ca viṣṇuśca prayāge sa maheśvaraḥ //

Translation

In that sacred place, one who performs the homa (fire-offering) casts his own sins into the fire and does not behold hell. Thus, at Prayāga, Brahmā and Viṣṇu are present—there indeed is Maheśvara (Śiva).

Word by Word

• यस्मिन्: in which (place)

• जुह्वन्: offering oblations/sacrificing

• स्वकम्: one’s own

• पापम्: sin

• नरकम्: hell

• च: and

• न: not

• पश्यति: sees/beholds

• एवम्: thus/in this manner

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā

• च: and

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu

• च: and

• प्रयागे: at Prayāga

• सः: that/he

• महेश्वरः: Maheśvara (Śiva/the Great Lord)

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing the tirtha-mahātmya of Prayāga

Entities Mentioned

• Prayaga
• Brahma
• Vishnu
• Maheshvara
• Naraka

Tags

• Tirtha-Mahatmya
• Prayaga
• Ritual
• Punya
• Sin-removal

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it is a tirtha-mahātmya statement asserting Prayāga’s power to destroy sin through ritual offering, thereby preventing descent to naraka.

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

For householders (and kings as exemplary householders), it supports the dharmic duty of performing yajña/oblations and visiting tīrthas; such acts are presented as means to purify pāpa and uphold moral order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is central: juhvan (offering oblations) at Prayāga is said to ‘burn’ one’s sins and avert naraka, and the verse frames Prayāga as a confluence of divine presence (Brahmā–Viṣṇu–Maheśvara).