Shloka 6

Matsya Purana — The Cave-Sanctuary: Jewel-Lake

Devanagari script

तथापि दिवसाकारं प्रकाशं तदहर्निशम् क्रोशाधिकपरीमाणं सरसा च विराजितम् //

Transliteration

tathāpi divasākāraṃ prakāśaṃ tadaharniśam krośādhikaparīmāṇaṃ sarasā ca virājitam //

Translation

Even so, it shines with a daylight-like radiance, day and night; it extends for more than a krośa in measure, and is beautified by a lake.

Word by Word

• तथापि: even so/ nevertheless

• दिवसाकारम्: having the appearance of daytime

• प्रकाशम्: radiance/illumination

• तत्: that (place/region)

• अहर्निशम्: day and night

• क्रोशाधिकपरिमाणम्: of a measure exceeding one krośa

• सरसा: by/with a lake (saras)

• च: and

• विराजितम्: adorned/beautified, shining splendidly

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) reporting the Matsya Purana’s description (likely within Matsya’s instruction to Manu)

Tags

• Vastu Shastra
• Sacred Geography
• Tirtha
• Measurements
• Lake

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe pralaya directly; it characterizes an auspicious region as perpetually luminous and associated with a lake—features used in Purāṇic sacred geography rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

For kings and householders, such descriptions function as practical guidance for choosing auspicious sites—favoring well-watered, clearly measured, and ritually “bright” places for settlements, temples, or charitable works (tanks, ghāṭas).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The key markers are (1) measurable extent (krośa-based planning) and (2) proximity to a lake, supporting Vāstu-oriented site selection and tirtha/temple landscaping where water is a primary auspicious element.