Matsya Purana — Description of Atri’s Hermitage: Sacred Grove Planning, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

तत्र वेणुलताभिश्च तथा कीचकवेणुभिः काशैः शशाङ्ककाशैश्च शरगुल्मैस्तथैव च //

Transliteration

tatra veṇulatābhiśca tathā kīcakaveṇubhiḥ kāśaiḥ śaśāṅkakāśaiśca śaragulmaistathaiva ca //

Translation

Là, le lieu était couvert de lianes de bambou et de bambous épais (kīcaka) ; d’herbes kāśa, de kāśa blanches comme la lune, et pareillement de touffes de roseaux et de fourrés de joncs.

Word by Word

• tatra: there/in that place

• veṇu-latābhiḥ: with bamboo-creepers/bamboo-vines

• ca: and

• tathā: likewise

• kīcaka-veṇubhiḥ: with kīcaka bamboos (thick hollow bamboo)

• kāśaiḥ: with kāśa grass (Saccharum-type tall grass)

• śaśāṅka-kāśaiḥ: with moon(-like) white kāśa grasses

• ca: and

• śara-gulmaiḥ: with clumps/thickets of śara reeds

• tathaiva: just so/likewise

• ca: and

Speaker

• Sūta (narrative description within the Matsya Purāṇa discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• kīcaka (bamboo)
• kāśa (grass)
• śara (reeds)

Tags

• Forest description
• Sacred geography
• Vegetation
• Landscape
• Purāṇic narration

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe pralaya; it is a scenic inventory of vegetation, emphasizing the natural abundance and the visual “whiteness” (moon-like kāśa) of the terrain.

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

Indirectly, it supports the Purāṇic ideal of protecting and maintaining fertile landscapes—forests, grasses, and water-edge reeds—resources essential for settlements, grazing, and ritual life.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

While not a direct Vāstu rule, such vegetation can indicate a riverbank/wetland ecology (śara reeds) and open grasslands (kāśa), useful for interpreting site character in traditional settlement selection and for sourcing materials like bamboo for construction and ritual implements.