Shloka 12

Matsya Purana — Ritual Bathing

Devanagari script

मृत्तिके देहि नः पुष्टिं त्वयि सर्वं प्रतिष्ठितम् नमस्ते सर्वलोकानां प्रभवारणि सुव्रते //

Transliteration

mṛttike dehi naḥ puṣṭiṃ tvayi sarvaṃ pratiṣṭhitam namaste sarvalokānāṃ prabhavāraṇi suvrate //

Translation

O sacred clay (Earth), grant us nourishment and strength; in you all things are firmly established. Salutations to you—the origin and very foundation of all worlds, O virtuous one.

Word by Word

• mṛttike: O clay/Earth

• dehi: grant/give

• naḥ: to us/our

• puṣṭim: nourishment, thriving strength, prosperity

• tvayi: in you

• sarvam: everything/all

• pratiṣṭhitam: established, supported, set firm

• namas-te: salutations to you

• sarva-lokānām: of all worlds/realms

• prabhava: source, origin

• āraṇi: kindling-stick/base for producing fire, figuratively the generating support

• su-vrate: O one of good vow/virtuous one

Speaker

• Suta (narrative voice) presenting a ritual mantra/stuti used in rites (as taught within the Matsya Purana’s Vastu/ritual instructions)

Entities Mentioned

• Mṛttikā (Earth/Clay)

Tags

• Vastu Shastra
• Ritual
• Consecration
• Mantra
• Purification

FAQs

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

It presents Earth/clay as the universal support in which “all is established,” a cosmological idea that remains meaningful across cycles of creation and dissolution, emphasizing Earth as the sustaining basis of manifested worlds.

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

By invoking Earth for puṣṭi (nourishment and prosperity), it aligns with the householder’s and ruler’s duty to secure sustenance, stability, and auspicious foundations—materially (land, agriculture, building) and ritually (proper beginnings and purity).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

It functions as a mṛttikā-stuti used when collecting or employing clay/earth in rites—relevant to Vastu and temple-building contexts where earth, bricks, plaster, and foundations are ritually sanctified before construction or consecration.