Shloka 137

Matsya Purana — Yadu Lineage

Devanagari script

बभ्रवे च पिशङ्गाय पिङ्गलायारुणाय च पिनाकिने चेषुमते चित्राय रोहिताय च //

Transliteration

babhrave ca piśaṅgāya piṅgalāyāruṇāya ca pinākine ceṣumate citrāya rohitāya ca //

Translation

Salutations to the brown‑hued One; to the tawny One; to the golden‑tawny and the ruddy‑red One; to the bearer of the Pināka bow; to Him who is armed with arrows; to the variegated One; and to the reddish One.

Word by Word

• babhrave: to the brown/dusky-hued one

• ca: and

• piśaṅgāya: to the tawny/yellowish one

• piṅgalāya: to the golden-brown/tawny one

• aruṇāya: to the ruddy/red one

• ca: and

• pinākine: to the bearer of Pināka (Śiva’s bow)

• ca: and

• iṣumate: to the possessor of arrows/archer

• citrāya: to the many-coloured/variegated one

• rohitāya: to the reddish one

• ca: and

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating a Śiva/Rudra-nāma passage within the Matsya Purāṇa)

Entities Mentioned

• Rudra
• Śiva
• Pināka

Tags

• Shiva Names
• Rudra
• Stotra
• Iconography
• Mantra

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it is a litany of Rudra’s epithets, emphasizing his manifold forms (especially colour-forms) rather than cosmological dissolution.

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

As a nāma-saṅkīrtana (recitation of divine names), it supports the householder’s duty of daily worship and remembrance; for kings, such hymns are traditionally used for protection, victory, and righteous rule through devotion to Śiva.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it functions as a Śiva-stotra suitable for japa/recitation; iconographically, “Pinākin” and “iṣumat” point to Śiva’s bow-and-arrow aspect, useful when identifying or describing Śiva’s forms in temple imagery.