Shloka 21

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

Devanagari script

कृत्तमाल्यं विलुलितं संक्रान्तकुचकुङ्कुमम् रतिक्रीडितकान्तेव रराज तत्सरोदकम् //

Transliteration

kṛttamālyaṃ vilulitaṃ saṃkrāntakucakuṅkumam ratikrīḍitakānteva rarāja tatsarodakam //

Translation

That lake-water shone, strewn with severed garlands, tousled and disarrayed, and tinged with the saffron kunkuma from women’s breasts—like a beloved woman after amorous play.

Word by Word

• कृत्त (kṛtta): cut off, severed

• माल्यम् (mālyam): garland

• विलुलितम् (vilulitam): dishevelled, tossed about

• संक्रान्त (saṃkrānta): transferred, smeared onto

• कुच (kuca): breast

• कुङ्कुमम् (kuṅkumam): saffron/red cosmetic powder

• रति (rati): love, erotic pleasure

• क्रीडित (krīḍita): sported, played

• कान्ता (kāntā): beloved woman

• इव (iva): like

• रराज (rarāja): shone, glittered

• तत् (tat): that

• सरः-उदकम् (saraḥ-udakam): lake-water

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) describing the scene within the Matsya Purana’s sacred-site narration

Entities Mentioned

• Sarovara (sacred lake)
• Kunkuma (saffron cosmetic)

Tags

• Tirtha
• Sarovara
• Poetic imagery
• Pilgrimage
• Matsya Purana

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it is a lyrical description of a sacred lake’s beauty, using sensual imagery to convey its shimmering, lived-in ambience.

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

Indirectly, it supports the Matsya Purana’s tirtha-oriented ethics: householders and rulers are encouraged to honour sacred places—through pilgrimage, cleanliness, and patronage—since such sites are portrayed as spiritually potent and culturally refined.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it evokes a tirtha-sarovara atmosphere associated with bathing and worship; while no Vastu rule is stated, the verse supports the sacred-site aesthetic that later temple-tirtha traditions cultivate around water-bodies.