Shloka 31

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

Devanagari script

एवमभ्यर्च्य तं मेरुं मन्दरं चाभिपूजयेत् यस्माच्चैत्ररथेन त्वं भद्राश्वेन च वर्षतः //

Transliteration

evamabhyarcya taṃ meruṃ mandaraṃ cābhipūjayet yasmāccaitrarathena tvaṃ bhadrāśvena ca varṣataḥ //

Translation

Thus, having duly worshipped Mount Meru, one should also offer reverent worship to Mount Mandara—because you are associated with the Varṣa regions called Caitraratha and Bhadrāśva.

Word by Word

• evam: thus

• abhyarcya: having worshipped/after honoring with offerings

• tam: that

• merum: (Mount) Meru

• mandaram: (Mount) Mandara

• ca: and

• abhipūjayet: should worship with special reverence

• yasmāt: because/from the fact that

• caitrarathena: with/connected to Caitraratha (a named region/grove/varṣa designation in Purāṇic geography)

• tvam: you

• bhadrāśvena: with/connected to Bhadrāśva (a named Varṣa/region)

• ca: and

• varṣataḥ: as Varṣas/according to the division into Varṣas (cosmic regions).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in discourse to Vaivasvata Manu, within the cosmological description)

Entities Mentioned

• Meru
• Mandara
• Caitraratha
• Bhadrāśva

Tags

• Sacred Geography
• Cosmology
• Meru
• Mandara
• Ritual Worship
• Varshas

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it belongs to the Matsya Purana’s cosmological mapping of the world, linking ritual worship to cosmic landmarks (Meru, Mandara) and the Varṣa divisions (Caitraratha, Bhadrāśva).

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

It frames a dharmic practice of honoring sacred geography: a king or householder is encouraged to perform orderly worship (abhyarcya, abhipūjayet) that aligns human ritual with the Purāṇic cosmic order and its named regions.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is explicit: after worshipping Meru, one should also venerate Mandara, indicating a prescribed sequence of worship tied to Purāṇic cosmography—useful for designing pilgrimage recitations, temple readings, and ritual manuals that follow Matsya Purana’s geographic theology.