Shloka 2

Matsya Purana — The Greatness of Prayaga and Allied Tirthas

Devanagari script

गया च चैत्रकं चैव गङ्गासागरमेव च एते चान्ये च बहवो ये च पुण्याः शिलोच्चयाः //

Transliteration

gayā ca caitrakaṃ caiva gaṅgāsāgarameva ca ete cānye ca bahavo ye ca puṇyāḥ śiloccayāḥ //

Translation

Gayā, Caitraka, and also Gaṅgā-sāgara—these and many other sacred rocky hill-shrines are declared to be holy places of pilgrimage.

Word by Word

• gayā: Gayā (a famed tīrtha)

• ca: and

• caitrakam: Caitraka (a sacred place/tīrtha)

• caiva: and indeed/also

• gaṅgāsāgaram: Gaṅgā-sāgara (the confluence of the Gaṅgā with the sea)

• eva: precisely/indeed

• ete: these

• ca: and

• anye: others

• ca: and

• bahavaḥ: many

• ye: which/who

• ca: and

• puṇyāḥ: holy, meritorious

• śiloccayāḥ: heaps of rocks, rocky elevations, hill-shrines (sacred stone mounds)

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in discourse to Vaivasvata Manu, within a tīrtha-mahātmya style enumeration)

Entities Mentioned

• Gayā
• Caitraka
• Gaṅgā-sāgara

Tags

• Tirtha
• Pilgrimage
• Sacred Geography
• Ritual Merit
• Punya

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya; it functions as a sacred-geography catalogue, naming tīrthas and holy hill-shrines regarded as merit-giving.

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

By identifying renowned tīrthas (Gayā, Gaṅgā-sāgara, etc.), it supports the householder/kingly duty of undertaking sanctioned pilgrimages and rites that generate puṇya and uphold dharma.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The term śiloccaya points to sacred stone elevations or hill-shrines—sites often associated with worship, offerings, and pilgrimage rites rather than explicit temple-construction rules.