Shloka 23

Matsya Purana — Procedure for Going to Prayaga and the Greatness of the Ganga

Devanagari script

दश तीर्थसहस्राणि षष्टिकोट्यस्तथा पराः तेषां सांनिध्यमत्रैव ततस्तु कुरुनन्दन //

Transliteration

daśa tīrthasahasrāṇi ṣaṣṭikoṭyastathā parāḥ teṣāṃ sāṃnidhyamatraiva tatastu kurunandana //

Translation

Here itself are present ten thousand sacred fords (tīrthas), and beyond that sixty crores more; their very proximity is found right at this place—therefore, O delight of the Kurus.

Word by Word

• daśa: ten

• tīrtha: sacred ford/pilgrimage site

• sahasrāṇi: thousands

• ṣaṣṭi: sixty

• koṭyaḥ: crores (ten-millions)

• tathā: and/also

• parāḥ: further/more beyond

• teṣām: of them

• sānnidhyam: nearness/presence/proximity

• atra eva: here itself

• tataḥ tu: therefore/for that reason

• kuru-nandana: O joy of the Kurus (address to a Kuru prince).

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) conveying the Purāṇic teaching in a tirtha-mahātmya context

Entities Mentioned

• Tirthas
• Kuru (lineage)

Tags

• Tirtha
• Tirtha-Mahatmya
• Pilgrimage
• Punya
• Sacred Geography

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya; it emphasizes sacred geography—claiming that innumerable tīrthas are spiritually present in a single location, amplifying its religious merit.

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

It supports the dharmic ideal of undertaking tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage) and honoring holy places; for rulers and householders, such acts are presented as legitimate means of accruing puṇya and sustaining public religiosity.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual takeaway is the doctrine of sānnidhya—multiple tīrthas being ‘present’ at one site—implying that bathing, worship, and offerings performed here can yield the compounded merit of many pilgrimage places.