Shloka 11

Matsya Purana — Purūravas Beholds the Divine Himalayan River

Devanagari script

नीलनीरजनेत्राभाम् उत्फुल्लकमलाननाम् हिमाभफेनवसनां चक्रवाकाधरां शुभाम् बलाकापङ्क्तिदशनां चलन्मत्स्यावलिभ्रुवम् //

Transliteration

nīlanīrajanetrābhām utphullakamalānanām himābhaphenavasanāṃ cakravākādharāṃ śubhām balākāpaṅktidaśanāṃ calanmatsyāvalibhruvam //

Translation

Auspicious and lovely—her eyes gleamed like blue lotuses; her face was like a fully blossomed lotus; her garments were white as frost and foam; her lips like the ruddy cakravāka-bird; her teeth like a row of white herons; and her eyebrows shaped like moving rows of fish.

Word by Word

• nīla-nīraja-netra-ābhām: having the lustre of blue-lotus eyes

• utphulla-kamala-ānanām: having a face like a fully-bloomed lotus

• hima-ābha-phena-vasanām: wearing garments white like frost/ice and foam

• cakravāka-adharām: having lips like the cakravāka (ruddy, dawn-colored)

• śubhām: auspicious, beautiful

• balākā-paṅkti-daśanām: having teeth like a line of white herons/cranes

• calan-matsya-āvali-bhruvam: having eyebrows like moving rows of fish

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Cakravāka (ruddy goose)
• Balākā (heron/crane)
• Nīlanīraja (blue lotus)
• Kamala (lotus)
• Matsya (fish)

Tags

• Iconography
• Auspicious Marks
• Poetic Similes
• Pratima Lakshana
• Matsya Purana

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya; it is an iconographic-aesthetic description using auspicious similes to define idealized beauty.

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

Indirectly, it reflects the Purāṇic ideal of śubha-lakṣaṇa (auspicious marks) valued in ethical household life and royal courts—where discerning auspicious qualities and cultivating refinement (saṃskāra) are praised.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The verse contributes to pratima-lakṣaṇa style canons: such standardized auspicious features inform temple iconography and visual ideals used when depicting divine or exemplary figures in ritual art.