Shloka 5

Matsya Purana — Ritual Bathing

Devanagari script

तिस्रः कोट्यो ऽर्धकोटी च तीर्थानां वायुरब्रवीत् दिवि भुव्यन्तरिक्षे च तानि ते सन्ति जाह्नवि //

Transliteration

tisraḥ koṭyo 'rdhakoṭī ca tīrthānāṃ vāyurabravīt divi bhuvyantarikṣe ca tāni te santi jāhnavi //

Translation

Vāyu declared that the sacred fords (tīrthas) number three crores and half a crore; and those tīrthas, O Jāhnavī, are found in heaven, on earth, and in the mid-region (the atmosphere).

Word by Word

• tisraḥ: three

• koṭyaḥ: crores (ten-millions)

• ardhakoṭī: half a crore

• ca: and

• tīrthānām: of sacred places/fords (tīrthas)

• vāyuḥ: Vāyu (the Wind-god)

• abravīt: said/declared

• divi: in heaven

• bhuvi: on earth

• antarikṣe: in the intermediate space/atmosphere

• ca: and

• tāni: those

• te: your/for you (addressing the listener)

• santi: exist/are

• jāhnavi: O Jāhnavī (epithet of the Gaṅgā / one connected with Jahnu).

Speaker

• Vāyu

Entities Mentioned

• Vāyu
• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• Tīrthas

Tags

• Tirtha
• Pilgrimage
• Sacred Geography
• Cosmology
• Ganga

FAQs

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

It does not describe pralaya directly; it presents a cosmological mapping of holiness, stating that tīrthas exist across the three realms—heaven, earth, and the atmospheric mid-region—implying sacred order throughout the cosmos.

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

By emphasizing the vast presence of tīrthas, it supports the Purāṇic ethic that householders and rulers should uphold dharma through pilgrimage, patronage, and protection of sacred sites and waterways (especially Gaṅgā-associated tīrthas).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it frames tīrthas as pan-cosmic loci of merit (puṇya), encouraging tīrtha-yātrā and river/ford rites; architecturally, it indirectly underwrites temple-building and maintenance at tīrthas as high-value religious acts (a key theme in Matsya Purana sacred-site culture).