Shloka 11

Matsya Purana — Rite of Donating the ‘Sugar Mountain’

Devanagari script

अमृतं पिबतां ये तु निपेतुर्भुवि शीकराः देवानां तत्समुत्थस्त्वं पाहि नः शर्कराचल //

Transliteration

amṛtaṃ pibatāṃ ye tu nipeturbhuvi śīkarāḥ devānāṃ tatsamutthastvaṃ pāhi naḥ śarkarācala //

Translation

O Śarkarācala (mountain), protect us—you who arose from the gods—for the droplets that fell upon the earth from those drinking the nectar of immortality became you.

Word by Word

• amṛtam: nectar of immortality

• pibatām: of those drinking

• ye: which

• tu: indeed

• nipetuḥ: fell down

• bhuvi: on the earth

• śīkarāḥ: droplets/spray

• devānām: of the gods

• tat-samutthaḥ: arisen from that/therefrom

• tvam: you

• pāhi: protect

• naḥ: us

• śarkarā-acala: O Śarkarācala, ‘gravel/pebble mountain’ (a mountain formed of śarkarā, small stones/sugar-like granules)

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) describing the mythic origin of a sacred mountain/place (likely within the ocean-churning narrative frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Devas
• Amrita
• Śarkarācala

Tags

• Samudra Manthana
• Amrita
• Sacred Geography
• Etiology
• Deva Lore

FAQs

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

It is not a Pralaya verse; it gives an origin-story (etiology) for Śarkarācala, linking a terrestrial feature to the divine event of amṛta being consumed by the gods.

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

Indirectly, it supports the Purāṇic ethic of honoring sacred places and divine-origin sites; kings and householders gain merit by protecting, visiting, and ritually venerating such tirtha-linked geographies.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The verse functions as a sanctifying legend for a place; such origin accounts are commonly used to justify tīrtha-yātrā, donations, and the establishment of shrines/ritual observances connected to that named locale.