Shloka 18

Matsya Purana — The Attendant Hosts of the Sun and Moon: Monthly Gaṇas

Devanagari script

भुजंगश्च महापद्मः सर्पः कर्कोटकस्तथा चित्रसेनश्च गन्धर्वः पूर्णायुश्चैव गायनौ //

Transliteration

bhujaṃgaśca mahāpadmaḥ sarpaḥ karkoṭakastathā citrasenaśca gandharvaḥ pūrṇāyuścaiva gāyanau //

Translation

Bhujaṅga, Mahāpadma, Sarpa, and likewise Karkoṭaka; and the Gandharva Citrāsena, and also Pūrṇāyu—these are renowned celestial singers.

Word by Word

• भुजंगः (bhujaṅgaḥ): Bhujaṅga (a Nāga name)

• महापद्मः (mahāpadmaḥ): Mahāpadma (a great Nāga)

• सर्पः (sarpaḥ): Sarpa (a Nāga name)

• कर्कोटकः (karkoṭakaḥ): Karkoṭaka (a Nāga name)

• तथा (tathā): likewise/also

• चित्रसेनः (citrasenaḥ): Citrasena (a Gandharva)

• च (ca): and

• गन्धर्वः (gandharvaḥ): Gandharva (celestial musician)

• पूर्णायुः (pūrṇāyuḥ): Pūrṇāyu (a singer/musician figure, name)

• च एव (ca eva): and also

• गायनौ (gāyanau): the singers/celestial vocalists

Speaker

• Sūta (narrative voice recounting the Matsya Purana’s catalog of beings; traditional frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Bhujaṅga
• Mahāpadma
• Sarpa
• Karkoṭaka
• Citrasena
• Gandharva
• Pūrṇāyu

Tags

• Nāgas
• Gandharvas
• Puranic Catalogs
• Cosmology
• Mythic Genealogy

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya directly; it functions as a catalog of prominent Nāgas and Gandharva singers, reflecting the Purana’s broader cosmological mapping of beings across realms.

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

Indirectly, such enumerations support Purāṇic learning (itihāsa–purāṇa-śravaṇa) valued for rulers and householders as part of dharmic education—knowing sacred lineages, classes of beings, and traditional names used in ritual recitation.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple-building rule is stated here; the ritual relevance is mainly nominative—these names may appear in Purāṇic recitations and mythic-hymnic contexts involving Nāgas and Gandharvas.