Shloka 5

Matsya Purana — Rasakalyāṇinī Vrata: Magha-based Goddess Worship

Devanagari script

मदालसायै तु कटिम् अमलायै तथोदरम् स्तनौ मदनवासिन्यै कुमुदायै च कन्दराम् //

Transliteration

madālasāyai tu kaṭim amalāyai tathodaram stanau madanavāsinyai kumudāyai ca kandarām //

Translation

For Madālasā, one should worship the waist; for Amalā, likewise the belly; for Madanavāsinī, the breasts; and for Kumudā, the cheeks (or the charming hollows/curves of the face).

Word by Word

• madālasāyai: for (the goddess/figure named) Madālasā

• tu: indeed/then

• kaṭim: waist/hips

• amalāyai: for Amalā

• tathā: likewise/also

• udaram: abdomen/belly

• stanau: the two breasts

• madanavāsinyai: for Madanavāsinī (“she in whom Kāma/Madana dwells,” i.e., an erotic-charm aspect)

• kumudāyai: for Kumudā (“lotus-like/white-lotus one”)

• ca: and

• kandarām: cheeks/hollows/curved facial contours (kandara = cavity/hollow/concavity).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu on iconographic/ritual depiction)

Entities Mentioned

• Madālasā
• Amalā
• Madanavāsinī
• Kumudā

Tags

• Iconography
• Pratima Lakshana
• Temple Ritual
• Devi Forms
• Murti Shilpa

FAQs

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

This verse does not address Pralaya; it belongs to an iconographic (pratimā-lakṣaṇa) context describing which bodily features are emphasized for specific feminine divine forms.

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

Indirectly, it supports dharma through correct worship: a king or householder commissioning images for temples or household shrines should follow prescribed lakṣaṇas so the deity is represented in an auspicious, text-sanctioned manner.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

It functions as a shilpa/ritual specification for sculptors and temple patrons—assigning characteristic features (waist, belly, breasts, facial hollows/cheeks) to named forms, aiding correct consecration (pratiṣṭhā) and visual theology in temple imagery.