Shloka 5
Matsya Purana — The Glory of Prayaga: Pilgrimage
आ प्रयागप्रतिष्ठानाद् आपुराद्वासुकेर्ह्रदात् कम्बलाश्वतरौ नागौ नागश्च बहुमूलकः एतत्प्रजापतेः क्षेत्रं त्रिषु लोकेषु विश्रुतम् //
ā prayāgapratiṣṭhānād āpurādvāsukerhradāt kambalāśvatarau nāgau nāgaśca bahumūlakaḥ etatprajāpateḥ kṣetraṃ triṣu lokeṣu viśrutam //
From Prayāga and Pratiṣṭhāna, from Āpura, and from Vāsuki’s lake—there dwell the serpent-lords Kambala and Aśvatara, and also the Nāga named Bahumūlaka. This is Prajāpati’s sacred region, renowned throughout the three worlds.
FAQs
It does not describe Pralaya directly; instead, it maps a sacred landscape (Prajāpati’s kṣetra) and associates it with nāga beings and tīrtha-locations, emphasizing cosmic sanctity rather than dissolution.
By identifying renowned sacred regions and tīrthas, the verse supports the Purāṇic duty of dharmic living through pilgrimage, vows, and ritual purity—practices encouraged for householders and patronized by kings to uphold public dharma.
The ritual takeaway is tīrtha-significance: named places and a sacred lake connected with Vāsuki and nāgas imply merit through visiting, bathing, and honoring local deities/guardians; no explicit Vāstu or temple-measurement rule is stated in this verse.