Shloka 2

Matsya Purana — The Glory of Prayaga: Pilgrimage

Devanagari script

कथं प्रयागगमनं नराणां तत्र कीदृशम् मृतानां का गतिस्तत्र स्नातानां तत्र किं फलम् //

Transliteration

kathaṃ prayāgagamanaṃ narāṇāṃ tatra kīdṛśam mṛtānāṃ kā gatistatra snātānāṃ tatra kiṃ phalam //

Translation

“How should people undertake the journey to Prayāga, and what is its proper manner there? What destiny do the dead attain there, and what fruit is gained by those who bathe there?”

Word by Word

• katham: how

• prayāga-gamanam: going/journeying to Prayāga

• narāṇām: of men/people

• tatra: there

• kīdṛśam: of what kind/what is the proper form

• mṛtānām: of the dead

• kā: what

• gatiḥ: course/destiny/attainment

• snātānām: of those who have bathed

• kiṃ: what

• phalam: fruit/result (religious merit)

Speaker

• Vaivasvata Manu (inquiring of Lord Matsya)

Entities Mentioned

• Prayaga

Tags

• Prayaga
• Tirtha-Mahatmya
• Pilgrimage
• Sacred Bath
• Afterlife

FAQs

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

This verse does not address Pralaya directly; it opens a tirtha-mahātmya inquiry, focusing on Prayāga as a sacred locus where actions like pilgrimage and bathing yield spiritual results.

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

It frames dhārmic conduct through tīrtha-yātrā: a householder (and by extension a king guiding subjects) should know the proper method of pilgrimage, the merit of holy bathing, and the intended spiritual outcomes connected with sacred places.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is explicit: Prayāga-snānā (holy bathing at Prayāga) and the prescribed manner of undertaking the pilgrimage; it also hints at ancillary rites for the departed performed at major tīrthas.