Shloka 2
Matsya Purana — Ritual Bathing
अनुद्धृतैरुद्धृतैर्वा जलैः स्नानं समाचरेत् तीर्थं च कल्पयेद्विद्वान् मूलमन्त्रेण मन्त्रवित् नमो नारायणायेति मूलमन्त्र उदाहृतः //
anuddhṛtairuddhṛtairvā jalaiḥ snānaṃ samācaret tīrthaṃ ca kalpayedvidvān mūlamantreṇa mantravit namo nārāyaṇāyeti mūlamantra udāhṛtaḥ //
One should duly perform the ritual bath with water either undrawn (as found in nature) or drawn (collected). A learned person, skilled in mantras, should also ritually constitute a sacred bathing-spot (tīrtha) by means of the root-mantra (mūla-mantra). The root-mantra is declared to be: “namo nārāyaṇāya” (“Obeisance to Nārāyaṇa”).
FAQs
This verse does not describe pralaya directly; it focuses on purification through snāna and sanctifying a tīrtha via devotion to Nārāyaṇa, implying that ritual purity and remembrance of Vishnu remain central across cosmic cycles.
It supports daily dharma through bodily and ritual purification: a householder (and likewise a king as exemplar) should perform proper bathing and maintain devotion by using the mūla-mantra “namo nārāyaṇāya,” reinforcing disciplined religious practice.
Ritually, it authorizes creating/defining a tīrtha (a sanctified bathing spot) through mantra—showing that sacred space can be consecrated by correct procedure and mantra-knowledge, a principle aligned with broader Puranic consecration practices.