Shloka 8

Matsya Purana — The Rite of the Jaggery-Cow

Devanagari script

सितसूत्रशिरालौ तौ सितकम्बलकम्बलौ ताम्रगण्डकपृष्ठौ तौ सितचामररोमकौ //

Transliteration

sitasūtraśirālau tau sitakambalakambalau tāmragaṇḍakapṛṣṭhau tau sitacāmararomakau //

Translation

Both were marked with veins like white threads upon the head, and both were covered with white woollen coverings. Both had coppery cheeks and backs, and both bore hair like the white cāmara yak-tail—bright, soft, and auspicious.

Word by Word

• sita: white

• sūtra: thread

• śirā: vein/artery

• śirālau: having visible veins

• tau: those two/both

• sita-kambala: white woollen blanket/covering

• kambalau: covered/blanketed

• tāmra: coppery/reddish

• gaṇḍa: cheek

• pṛṣṭha: back

• gaṇḍaka-pṛṣṭhau: having coppery cheeks and back

• sita-cāmara: white yak-tail whisk (cāmara)

• romaka/romakau: having hair/fur

• romakau: the two having such hair

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) relaying the Matsya Purana’s iconographic description (pratimā-lakṣaṇa context)

Entities Mentioned

• Cāmara (yak-tail whisk)

Tags

• Iconography
• Pratima Lakshana
• Auspicious Marks
• Ritual Aesthetics
• Puranic Descriptions

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya; it focuses on auspicious physical/iconographic features—color, texture, and bodily marks—used to recognize or prescribe sacred forms.

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

By emphasizing auspicious marks and purity of appearance, it supports a king’s and householder’s duty to sponsor correct religious images and rituals—ensuring worship is performed with properly described, traditionally sanctioned forms.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The details function as pratimā-lakṣaṇa (iconographic criteria) for selecting/commissioning sacred representations used in consecration and worship—where prescribed colors (white) and auspicious tones (coppery) signal sanctity and ritual fitness.