Shloka 53

Matsya Purana — Tārakāsura’s Austerity and Boon; Mobilization for War; Bṛhaspati’s Fourfold P...

Devanagari script

सितचामरजालेन शोभिते दक्षिणां दिशम् सितचन्दनचार्वङ्गो नानापुष्पस्रजोज्ज्वलः //

Transliteration

sitacāmarajālena śobhite dakṣiṇāṃ diśam sitacandanacārvaṅgo nānāpuṣpasrajojjvalaḥ //

Translation

The southern quarter is adorned with a network of white fly-whisks; his limbs are beautifully anointed with white sandalwood, and he shines with garlands of many kinds of flowers.

Word by Word

• sita: white

• cāmara: fly-whisk (yak-tail fan)

• jālena: with a net/array, by a lattice-like arrangement

• śobhite: made splendid/adorned

• dakṣiṇām diśam: the southern direction

• sitacandana: white sandalwood

• cāru-aṅgaḥ (cārvaṅgaḥ): one whose limbs are beautiful/pleasing

• nānā: various, many kinds

• puṣpa: flower

• srajaḥ: garlands

• ujjvalaḥ: radiant, shining

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) describing the prescribed/idealized ornamentation (contextually within Matsya Purana’s iconographic-ritual discourse)

Tags

• Vastu Shastra
• Iconography
• Temple Ritual
• Directional Adornment
• Sandalwood

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it focuses on auspicious ornamentation and ritual/iconographic beautification, especially connected to directional arrangement.

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

It reflects the dharmic ideal of maintaining purity, beauty, and auspicious order in ceremonial spaces—values expected in royal courts and household worship through proper adornment (sandalwood, garlands, and attendants’ emblems like cāmara).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

It encodes a Vastu-aligned, direction-specific decorative protocol: the southern quarter is to be made resplendent with white ceremonial fans (cāmara) and the figure/setting is sanctified by white sandalwood and floral garlands—common markers of consecration and honor in temple and ritual architecture.