Shloka 14

Matsya Purana — Purūravas Witnesses the Sports of Apsarases and Gandharvas; Attains the Grace...

Devanagari script

कान्ताम्बुताडनाकृष्टकेशपाशनिबन्धना केशाकुलमुखी भाति मधुपैरिव पद्मिनी //

Transliteration

kāntāmbutāḍanākṛṣṭakeśapāśanibandhanā keśākulamukhī bhāti madhupairiva padminī //

Translation

With her hair-tresses bound up after being pulled by the splashing of her beloved’s water-play, her face slightly dishevelled with loosened locks, she shines—like a lotus-pond surrounded by bees.

Word by Word

• kānta: beloved/lover

• ambu: water

• tāḍana: splashing/striking (in play)

• ākṛṣṭa: drawn/pulled

• keśa: hair

• pāśa: tress/lock (lit. noose)

• nibandhanā: bound/fastened

• keśākula: with hair in disarray

• mukhī: faced/with a face

• bhāti: shines/appears beautiful

• madhupaiḥ: by bees (honey-makers)

• iva: like/as

• padminī: lotus-pond/lotus-lake (also ‘lotus-bearing water’).

Speaker

• Narratorial voice (Purāṇic narrator describing an illustrative simile; not a direct Matsya–Manu dialogue in this verse)

Entities Mentioned

• kānta (beloved)
• padminī (lotus-pond)
• madhupa (bee)

Tags

• Poetics
• Shringara
• Simile
• Nature imagery
• Matsya Purana verse meaning

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya or cosmology; it is a śṛṅgāra-style poetic simile comparing a woman’s beauty (hair loosened by playful water-splashing) to a lotus-pond frequented by bees.

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

Indirectly, it reflects Purāṇic use of refined imagery to teach taste (rasa) and cultured expression; it does not prescribe rājadharma or gṛhastha duties, but shows the text’s broader literary register alongside ethical and ritual sections.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or ritual procedure is stated; the only technical point is literary—an alamkāra (upamā/simile) using padminī (lotus-pond) and madhupa (bee) imagery.