Shloka 81

Matsya Purana — Solar–Lunar Motions

Devanagari script

पार्श्वेभ्यो बाह्यतस् तावल् लोकालोकश्च पर्वतः योजनानां सहस्राणि दशोर्ध्वं चोच्छ्रितो गिरिः //

Transliteration

pārśvebhyo bāhyatas tāval lokālokaśca parvataḥ yojanānāṃ sahasrāṇi daśordhvaṃ cocchrito giriḥ //

Translation

On the outer sides of the cosmic regions lies the mountain called Lokāloka; that mountain rises upward to a height of ten thousand yojanas.

Word by Word

• पार्श्वेभ्यः (pārśvebhyaḥ): from the sides

• बाह्यतः (bāhyataḥ): outwardly, on the exterior

• तावत् (tāvat): to that extent/thereupon

• लोकालोकः (lokālokaḥ): ‘Lokāloka’, the boundary between the illumined world (loka) and the non-world/darkness (aloka)

• च (ca): and

• पर्वतः (parvataḥ): mountain

• योजनानाम् (yojanānām): of yojanas (a measure of distance)

• सहस्राणि (sahasrāṇi): thousands

• दश (daśa): ten

• ऊर्ध्वम् (ūrdhvam): upward

• च (ca): and

• उच्छ्रितः (ucchritaḥ): raised, towering

• गिरिः (giriḥ): mountain.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu (cosmography discourse context)

Entities Mentioned

• Lokāloka
• Parvata (mountain)

Tags

• Cosmography
• Bhūgola
• Lokāloka
• Puranic geography
• Yojana measures

FAQs

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

This verse is not describing Pralaya directly; it defines the cosmic boundary (Lokāloka) that demarcates the known, illumined worlds from the region beyond, using a precise height measurement.

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 cosmography (bhūgola) to align rituals, calendars, and worldview with dharma, though no specific royal duty is commanded here.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No temple-building (Vāstu) rule is stated; the ritual relevance is conceptual—Lokāloka functions as a cosmological boundary used in Purāṇic mapping of sacred space and in framing the ‘known world’ for rites and cosmological contemplation.