Shloka 48

Matsya Purana — Solar–Lunar Motions

Devanagari script

क्षीरोदस्य समुद्रस्योत्तरतो ऽपि दिशं चरन् मण्डलं विषुवच्चापि योजनैस्तन्निबोधत //

Transliteration

kṣīrodasya samudrasyottarato 'pi diśaṃ caran maṇḍalaṃ viṣuvaccāpi yojanaistannibodhata //

Translation

Moving northward beyond the Ocean of Milk (Kṣīroda), there is also a circular region lying along the viṣuva (equinoxial) line; understand its extent in yojanas.

Word by Word

• क्षीरोदस्य: of the Kṣīroda (Milk) ocean

• समुद्रस्य: of the ocean

• उत्तरतः: to the north/beyond the northern side

• अपि: also/even

• दिशम्: direction/quarter

• चरन्: moving/traversing

• मण्डलम्: circular region/zone

• विषुवत्: like the equinox (equinoctial line)

• च: and

• अपि: also

• योजनैः: by yojanas (units of distance)

• तत्: that

• निबोधत: understand/know (imperative, ‘please comprehend’).

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) conveying the cosmographic description in the Matsya Purana

Entities Mentioned

• Kṣīroda Samudra (Ocean of Milk)
• Viṣuva (equinoctial line)

Tags

• Cosmography
• Bhuvana-Kosha
• Sacred Geography
• Puranic Measurements
• Yojana

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it belongs to cosmographic mapping, describing a northern circular zone beyond the Kṣīroda Ocean and giving its scale in yojanas.

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

Indirectly, it supports the Purāṇic ideal that rulers and householders should learn sacred geography and traditional measures (yojana) as part of preserving dharma, education, and ritual worldview.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The key technical idea is measurement (yojana) and orientation (north, viṣuva/equinoctial alignment), concepts that also underpin ritual planning and Vāstu-style spatial thinking, though no specific temple rule is stated here.