Shloka 19
Matsya Purana — Procedure for Going to Prayaga and the Greatness of the Ganga
गङ्गायमुनयोर्मध्ये पृथिव्या जघनं स्मृतम् प्रयागं राजशार्दूल त्रिषु लोकेषु विश्रुतम् ततः पुण्यतमं नास्ति त्रिषु लोकेषु भारत //
gaṅgāyamunayormadhye pṛthivyā jaghanaṃ smṛtam prayāgaṃ rājaśārdūla triṣu lokeṣu viśrutam tataḥ puṇyatamaṃ nāsti triṣu lokeṣu bhārata //
Between the Gaṅgā and the Yamunā lies what is remembered as the earth’s “lower region”—Prayāga, O tiger among kings—renowned throughout the three worlds. Beyond it, O Bhārata, there is nowhere in the three worlds anything more supremely meritorious.
FAQs
This verse does not describe pralaya directly; instead, it maps sacred geography by elevating Prayāga’s sanctity as universally acknowledged across the three worlds.
By calling the listener “rājaśārdūla,” the text frames pilgrimage and support of dharmic tirthas as a royal/householder duty—seeking merit through righteous travel, charity, and ritual bathing at renowned confluences like Prayāga.
The ritual significance is primary: Prayāga at the Gaṅgā–Yamunā confluence is declared supremely merit-giving, implying high value for sangama-snana (confluence bathing) and associated tirtha rites performed there.