Shloka 1
Matsya Purana — The Greatness of the Vibhūti-Dvādaśī Vow: Pushkara
*नन्दिकेश्वर उवाच पुरा रथंतरे कल्पे राजासीत्पुष्पवाहनः नाम्ना लोकेषु विख्यातस् तेजसा सूर्यसंनिभः //
*nandikeśvara uvāca purā rathaṃtare kalpe rājāsītpuṣpavāhanaḥ nāmnā lokeṣu vikhyātas tejasā sūryasaṃnibhaḥ //
Nandikeśvara said: In ancient times, in the Rathaṃtara kalpa, there was a king named Puṣpavāhana, renowned throughout the worlds, whose splendor was like that of the Sun.
FAQs
This verse does not describe pralaya directly; it situates the story in a specific kalpa (Rathaṃtara), indicating a cosmological time-frame used by the Purana to place historical-genealogical narratives.
By portraying Puṣpavāhana as world-renowned and sun-like in splendor, the verse sets an ideal of kingship—publicly visible excellence, authority, and radiance—often associated in Puranic Rajadharma with protection, fame through righteous rule, and sustaining social order.
No explicit Vastu Shastra or ritual procedure appears in this verse; it functions as a narrative preface introducing a king whose later actions may provide ethical, ritual, or institutional context.