Shloka 16

Matsya Purana — The Rite and Glory of Meru-Dāna: The Tenfold ‘Gift of Meru’ and Mountain-Offe...

Devanagari script

चत्वारि शृङ्गाणि च राजतानि नितम्बभागेष्वपि राजतः स्यात् तथेक्षुवंशावृतकन्दरस्तु घृतोदकप्रस्रवणैश्च दिक्षु //

Transliteration

catvāri śṛṅgāṇi ca rājatāni nitambabhāgeṣvapi rājataḥ syāt tathekṣuvaṃśāvṛtakandarastu ghṛtodakaprasravaṇaiśca dikṣu //

Translation

It has four peaks made of silver; even its lower slopes gleam with silver. Its ravines are encircled by thickets of sugarcane, and in every direction streams of ghee and water flow forth.

Word by Word

• चत्वारि: four

• शृङ्गाणि: peaks/summits

• च: and

• राजतानि: of silver/silvery

• नितम्बभागेषु: on the lower slopes/hips (lower portions)

• अपि: even/also

• राजतः: silver

• स्यात्: would be/is

• तथा: likewise

• इक्षुवंश: sugarcane-stalks/sugarcane thickets

• आवृत: covered/encircled

• कन्दरः/कन्दरास्: caves/ravines/gullies

• तु: indeed

• घृत: ghee/clarified butter

• उदक: water

• प्रस्रवणैः: by outflows/streams/springs

• च: and

• दिक्षु: in the directions/on all sides.

Speaker

• Suta (traditional Purana narrator) describing sacred cosmography to the assembled sages

Entities Mentioned

• Meru (Mount Meru)
• Puranic cosmography

Tags

• Cosmography
• Meru
• Sacred Geography
• Mythic Rivers
• Vastuvidya

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it presents a creation-era cosmographic vision of Mount Meru—its shining substance and miraculous rivers—used to describe the ordered, auspicious structure of the universe.

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

Indirectly, it models an ideal of prosperity and order: a king or householder is expected to uphold dharma so the realm becomes ‘Meru-like’—stable, radiant, and life-sustaining through abundant resources (symbolized by water and ghee).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Meru functions as a cosmic archetype for sacred design: the four peaks suggest four-directional planning, while the imagery of silver brilliance and flowing ghee supports temple/altar symbolism of purity, auspiciousness, and ritual abundance.