Shloka 20

Matsya Purana — The Cave-Sanctuary: Jewel-Lake

Devanagari script

प्रमाणेन तथा सा च द्वे च राजन्धनुःशते चतुरस्रा तथा रम्या तपसा निर्मितात्रिणा //

Transliteration

pramāṇena tathā sā ca dve ca rājandhanuḥśate caturasrā tathā ramyā tapasā nirmitātriṇā //

Translation

By proper measure, O King, it should extend to two hundred dhanus; it is to be square in plan, pleasing in appearance, and fashioned with disciplined tapas, using grass as the laying or marking material.

Word by Word

• प्रमाणेन: according to correct measure/standard

• तथा: thus/likewise

• सा: that (settlement/plot)

• च: and

• द्वे: two

• च: and

• राजन्: O King

• धनुःशते: in a hundred dhanus (as a unit of length)

• (द्वे च धनुःशते): two hundred dhanus

• चतुरस्रा: square/four-sided

• तथा: likewise

• रम्या: beautiful/pleasing

• तपसा: by austerity/discipline, with rigorous care

• निर्मिता: constructed/made

• त्रिणा: with grass (tṛṇa), using grass as material/marker

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu (the King)

Entities Mentioned

• Vaivasvata Manu
• Lord Matsya (Vishnu)

Tags

• Vastu Shastra
• Town planning
• Measurements
• Nagara layout
• Sacred geometry

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it belongs to the Vastuvidya stream of the Matsya Purana and focuses on measured construction and orderly planning rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

It frames town/settlement planning as a royal responsibility: the king is advised to establish habitations by fixed standards (pramāṇa), emphasizing governance through orderly, proportionate, and aesthetically auspicious civic design.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Architecturally, it prescribes a square plan and a defined extent (two hundred dhanus). The mention of tṛṇa (grass) plausibly points to traditional site-marking/laying-out practice, where grass cords or grass lines help demarcate measurements during planning.