Shloka 12

Matsya Purana — Purūravas Beholds the Divine Himalayan River

Devanagari script

स्वजलोद्भूतमातंगरम्यकुम्भपयोधराम् हंसनूपुरसंघुष्टां मृणालवलयावलीम् //

Transliteration

svajalodbhūtamātaṃgaramyakumbhapayodharām haṃsanūpurasaṃghuṣṭāṃ mṛṇālavalayāvalīm //

Translation

Her breasts were like the lovely globes of a rutting elephant, as though rising from their own natural fullness; her anklets chimed with the sound of swans, and her arms were adorned with rows of bracelets like lotus-stalks.

Word by Word

• sva-jala-udbhūta: arisen from its own natural moisture/fullness

• mātaṅga: elephant

• ramya: lovely, charming

• kumbha: globular forehead-temple/rounded globe (metaphor for fullness)

• payodharā: breasts

• haṃsa: swan

• nūpura: anklet

• saṃghuṣṭā: resonant, sounding

• mṛṇāla: lotus-stalk/fiber

• valaya: bracelet/bangle

• āvalī: a row/series

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) conveying the Matsya Purana’s iconographic/poetic description within the discourse

Entities Mentioned

• Hamsa (swan)

Tags

• Iconography
• Pratima Lakshana
• Vastu Shastra
• Ornaments
• Auspicious Marks

FAQs

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

It does not address Pralaya; it focuses on auspicious bodily and ornamental features used in iconographic description.

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

Indirectly, it supports dharmic patronage: kings/householders are encouraged to commission properly described images and sacred art, aligning worship with scriptural standards.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

It reflects pratima-lakshana: sculptors and temple planners use such canonical metaphors (anklets, bracelets, bodily fullness) to craft aesthetically and ritually ‘auspicious’ murtis for installation and worship.