Shloka 12

Matsya Purana — Rite of Donating the ‘Sugar Mountain’

Devanagari script

मनोभवधनुर्मध्याद् उद्भूता शर्करा यतः तन्मयो ऽसि महाशैल पाहि संसारसागरात् //

Transliteration

manobhavadhanurmadhyād udbhūtā śarkarā yataḥ tanmayo 'si mahāśaila pāhi saṃsārasāgarāt //

Translation

O great mountain, since the pebble (śarkarā) that arose from the middle of Manobhava’s bow is your very substance, you are of its essence; therefore protect me from the ocean of saṃsāra, worldly existence.

Word by Word

• manobhava: Kāma (the mind-born god of desire)

• dhanuḥ: bow

• madhyāt: from the middle

• udbhūtā: arisen, sprung forth

• śarkarā: pebble, gravel, small stone

• yataḥ: since, because

• tat-mayaḥ asi: you are made of that, of its essence

• mahā-śaila: O great rock/mountain

• pāhi: protect, save

• saṃsāra-sāgarāt: from the ocean of transmigration/worldly becoming

Speaker

• A devotee/narrative voice offering a stuti (hymn) to Mahāśaila (a sacred mountain/tīrtha)

Entities Mentioned

• Manobhava (Kāma)
• Mahāśaila
• Saṃsāra

Tags

• Stuti
• Tirtha
• Sacred Mountain
• Mythic Origin
• Moksha

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it uses the classic image of “crossing the ocean of saṃsāra,” framing the sacred mountain’s mythic origin as a means to spiritual deliverance rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

It models Purāṇic dharma through devotion and refuge-seeking: even worldly persons (householders or rulers) are encouraged to honor tīrthas and sacred sites and to cultivate humility, seeing spiritual protection as higher than mere worldly power.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

By praising a specific sacred mountain as divinely originated, the verse supports the Matsya Purana’s sacred-geography logic used in Vastu/temple contexts: holy topography (mountains, stones, tīrthas) is treated as spiritually potent and suitable for worship, installation, and pilgrimage rites.