Shloka 7

Matsya Purana — The Greatness of Prayaga: Manasa Tirtha

Devanagari script

षष्टितीर्थसहस्राणि षष्टिकोट्यस्तथापगाः माघमासे गमिष्यन्ति गङ्गायमुनसंगमम् //

Transliteration

ṣaṣṭitīrthasahasrāṇi ṣaṣṭikoṭyastathāpagāḥ māghamāse gamiṣyanti gaṅgāyamunasaṃgamam //

Translation

In the month of Māgha, sixty thousand sacred fords (tīrthas) and likewise sixty crores of rivers will proceed to the confluence of the Gaṅgā and Yamunā.

Word by Word

• ṣaṣṭi: sixty

• tīrtha: sacred ford/pilgrimage place

• sahasrāṇi: thousands (i.e., 60,000)

• ṣaṣṭi-koṭyaḥ: sixty crores

• tathā: likewise/also

• apagāḥ: rivers/streams (lit. waters flowing down)

• māgha-māse: in the month of Māgha

• gamiṣyanti: will go/will proceed

• gaṅgā-yamunā: the Ganga and Yamuna

• saṅgamam: confluence/meeting-place

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu (contextual attribution within Matsya Purana discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• Ganga
• Yamuna
• Sangama (Prayaga)
• Magha month
• Tirthas
• Rivers (Apagah)

Tags

• Tirtha
• Prayaga
• Magha-Snana
• Sacred Rivers
• Pilgrimage

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it exalts sacred geography by portraying all tīrthas and rivers as converging (symbolically) at the Gaṅgā–Yamunā Saṅgama during Māgha.

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

It supports the householder’s dharma of tīrtha-yātrā and seasonal vows: observing Māgha-month pilgrimage and bathing at Prayāga is presented as a high-merit act aligned with righteous living.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it highlights Māgha as a prime time for snāna (sacred bathing) and pilgrimage at the Saṅgama; no specific Vāstu or temple-building rule is stated in this verse.