Shloka 141

Matsya Purana — The Strategy to Defeat Tāraka: Pārvatī’s Birth

Devanagari script

इत्युक्ता तु ततो वेगाद् उद्धृत्य चरणौ तदा ववन्दे मूर्ध्नि संधाय करपङ्कजकुड्मलम् //

Transliteration

ityuktā tu tato vegād uddhṛtya caraṇau tadā vavande mūrdhni saṃdhāya karapaṅkajakuḍmalam //

Translation

Thus addressed, she swiftly lifted up his feet and then bowed, placing them upon her head, her lotus-like hands folded like a closed bud.

Word by Word

• ityuktā: thus spoken to/so addressed

• tu: indeed/then

• tataḥ: thereafter

• vegāt: with speed, quickly

• uddhṛtya: having lifted up

• caraṇau: the two feet

• tadā: at that time

• vavande: bowed, paid homage

• mūrdhni: on the head

• saṃdhāya: placing/joining, setting upon

• kara: hands

• paṅkaja: lotus

• kuḍmalam: bud, closed blossom (i.e., folded hands/añjali).

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) describing an act of obeisance within the ongoing Matsya Purana dialogue framework

Entities Mentioned

• (unnamed) devotee/recipient of instruction
• (unnamed) revered person whose feet are honored

Tags

• Bhakti
• Namaskara
• Pada-seva
• Dharma
• Etiquette

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe pralaya or cosmogony; it highlights devotional humility and the embodied etiquette of reverence (pāda-vandana) within a narrative setting.

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

It models dharmic conduct: honoring elders, teachers, and the worthy with folded hands and respectful bowing—an ethical foundation for both household order and righteous kingship (vinaya, guru-bhakti, and restraint).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it reflects namaskāra/añjali and pāda-sevā (honoring the feet), a common gesture in pūjā and guru-vandana; it is not a Vāstu or temple-construction rule but a devotional protocol often performed in sacred spaces.