Shloka 2

Matsya Purana — The Greatness of Prayāga

Devanagari script

सोमतीर्थं महापुण्यं महापातकनाशनम् स्नानमात्रेण राजेन्द्र पुरुषांस्तारयेच्छतम् तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन तत्र स्नानं समाचरेत् //

Transliteration

somatīrthaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ mahāpātakanāśanam snānamātreṇa rājendra puruṣāṃstārayecchatam tasmātsarvaprayatnena tatra snānaṃ samācaret //

Translation

Somatīrtha is supremely meritorious and destroys even the gravest sins. O best of kings, by bathing there alone one may ferry across a hundred men; therefore, with every effort, one should undertake bathing at that sacred place.

Word by Word

• सोमतीर्थम् (somatīrtham): the sacred ford/shrine called Somatīrtha

• महापुण्यम् (mahāpuṇyam): of great merit, supremely holy

• महापातक-नाशनम् (mahāpātaka-nāśanam): destroyer of great sins (mahāpātakas)

• स्नान-मात्रेण (snāna-mātreṇa): by bathing alone, merely by the act of bathing

• राजेन्द्र (rājendra): O king of kings, best of rulers

• पुरुषान् (puruṣān): men, persons

• तारयेत् (tārayet): would ferry across, deliver, help cross (saṃsāra/sin)

• शतम् (śatam): a hundred

• तस्मात् (tasmāt): therefore

• सर्व-प्रयत्नेन (sarva-prayatnena): with all effort, by every means

• तत्र (tatra): there, at that place

• स्नानम् (snānam): bathing, ritual bath

• समाचरेत् (samācaret): should practice/undertake properly

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, addressed as king)

Entities Mentioned

• Somatirtha
• Rājendra (the king addressed, i.e., Manu)

Tags

• Tirtha Mahatmya
• Snana
• Punya
• Mahapataka-nashana
• Pilgrimage

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya directly; it emphasizes tirtha-mahātmyā—how a sacred place (Somatīrtha) grants purification and liberation-like “crossing over” through ritual bathing.

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

By addressing the listener as “rājendra,” the text frames pilgrimage and self-purification as part of righteous governance and household life—maintaining personal and societal dharma through prescribed sacred observances.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is primary: snāna (a sacred bath) at Somatīrtha is presented as a potent expiatory act capable of removing grave sins and benefiting others (even “a hundred men”).