Shloka 40

Matsya Purana — The Cave-Sanctuary: Jewel-Lake

Devanagari script

प्रदक्षिणमथो चक्रे स तूत्थाय पुनः पुनः रम्यमायतनं दृष्ट्वा तत्रोवासाश्रमे पुनः //

Transliteration

pradakṣiṇamatho cakre sa tūtthāya punaḥ punaḥ ramyamāyatanaṃ dṛṣṭvā tatrovāsāśrame punaḥ //

Translation

Then he performed circumambulation; rising again and again, and seeing that delightful sanctuary, he once more took up residence there in the hermitage.

Word by Word

• प्रदक्षिणम् (pradakṣiṇam): clockwise circumambulation/reverential circuit

• अथ (atha): then

• चक्रे (cakre): he did/performed

• स (sa): he

• उत्थाय (utthāya): having risen/standing up

• पुनः पुनः (punaḥ punaḥ): again and again

• रम्यम् (ramyam): lovely/delightful

• आयतनम् (āyatanam): abode/sanctuary/holy seat (often of a deity)

• दृष्ट्वा (dṛṣṭvā): having seen

• तत्र (tatra): there

• ओवास (ovāsa): he dwelt/he stayed

• आश्रमे (āśrame): in the hermitage/āśrama

• पुनः (punaḥ): again/once more

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) describing the devotee/visitor’s actions within the sacred-place narrative

Entities Mentioned

• Pradakshina
• Ashrama
• Ayatana

Tags

• Tirtha
• Ashrama
• Ritual
• Pradakshina
• Pilgrimage

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya; it focuses on sacred-place conduct—reverential circumambulation and dwelling in an āśrama—typical of tīrtha/āśrama narratives.

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

It models dharmic conduct for any visitor—king or householder—showing humility (rising repeatedly), reverence (pradakṣiṇā), and disciplined residence in a hermitage, aligning with Purāṇic ideals of respectful pilgrimage and self-restraint.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it highlights pradakṣiṇā (clockwise circumambulation) around an āyatana (sanctuary), implying a consecrated sacred center—an important temple/holy-site practice also emphasized in Matsya Purana’s broader ritual and sacred-space traditions.