Shloka 60

Matsya Purana — The Pushkara Manifestation

Devanagari script

सिंहिका ग्रहमाता वै गन्धर्वजननी मुनिः ताम्रा त्वप्सरसां माता पुण्यानां भारतोद्भव //

Transliteration

siṃhikā grahamātā vai gandharvajananī muniḥ tāmrā tvapsarasāṃ mātā puṇyānāṃ bhāratodbhava //

Translation

O sage, Siṃhikā is indeed said to be the mother of the Grahas, and the begetter of the Gandharvas. Tām्रā, O Bhāratodbhava, is the mother of the Apsarases and of the Puṇyas.

Word by Word

सिंहिका (Siṃhikā)a mythic female being named Siṃhikā

ग्रहमाता (graha-mātā)mother of the Grahas (celestial seizers/planetary powers)

वै (vai)indeed

गन्धर्वजननी (gandharva-jananī)mother/progenitress of the Gandharvas

मुनिः (muniḥ)O sage

ताम्रा (tām्रā)Tām्रā (a मातृ/consort figure)

तु (tu)and/but

अप्सरसाम् (apsarasām)of the Apsarases (celestial nymphs)

माता (mātā)mother

पुण्यानाम् (puṇyānām)of the Puṇyas (a class of meritorious/divine beings)

भारतोद्भव (bhāratodbhava)O descendant of Bharata

Speaker

Sūta (narrating the Matsya Purana’s genealogical account to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Entities Mentioned

SiṃhikāGrahasGandharvasTām्रāApsarasesPuṇyasBhāratodbhava

FAQs

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

It belongs to a creation-side (sarga) catalogue: it identifies maternal lineages for celestial classes (Grahas, Gandharvas, Apsarases), not events of Pralaya.

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

Indirectly, it supports Purāṇic dharma by grounding ritual and calendar life in cosmology—e.g., Grahas and celestial beings are treated as real cosmic agencies relevant to auspicious timing and observances.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu or temple-rule appears; the ritual takeaway is cosmological: Grahas are personified as a lineage, reinforcing their role in rites, offerings, and astrological propitiations.