Shloka 7

Matsya Purana — The Greatness of Prayaga and Allied Tirthas

Devanagari script

तिस्रः कोट्यो ऽर्धकोटिश्च तीर्थानां वायुरब्रवीत् दिवि भुव्यन्तरिक्षे च तत्सर्वं जाह्नवी स्मृता //

Transliteration

tisraḥ koṭyo 'rdhakoṭiśca tīrthānāṃ vāyurabravīt divi bhuvyantarikṣe ca tatsarvaṃ jāhnavī smṛtā //

Translation

Vāyu declared that there are three crores and a half-crore of tīrthas; and in heaven, on earth, and in the mid-region, all of that is remembered as Jāhnavī (the Gaṅgā).

Word by Word

• tisraḥ: three

• koṭyaḥ: crores (ten millions each)

• ardha-koṭiḥ: half a crore

• ca: and

• tīrthānām: of tīrthas/sacred pilgrimage-fords

• vāyuḥ: Vāyu (the Wind-god / sage Vāyu)

• abravīt: said, declared

• divi: in heaven

• bhuvi: on earth

• antarīkṣe: in the mid-space/atmosphere

• ca: and

• tat: that

• sarvam: all

• jāhnavī: Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)

• smṛtā: is remembered/known as.

Speaker

• Vāyu

Entities Mentioned

• Vāyu
• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• Tīrthas

Tags

• Tirtha
• Ganga
• Sacred Geography
• Pilgrimage
• Punya

FAQs

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

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it presents a sacred-geography doctrine that the merit and sanctity of innumerable tīrthas across the three realms are encompassed in Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā).

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

By elevating Gaṅgā as the sum of all tīrthas, it supports the householder/kingly duty of maintaining dharma through tīrtha-yātrā, ritual bathing, and patronage of sacred sites—accessible means of accruing puṇya and social-religious legitimacy.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it implies Gaṅgā-snāna and Gaṅgā-smaraṇa as equivalent to visiting countless tīrthas; architecturally, it indirectly underwrites the importance of ghāṭas, riverbank shrines, and tīrtha facilities as high-merit religious infrastructure.