Matsya Purana — Description of Atri’s Hermitage: Sacred Grove Planning, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

तत्रास्ति चापरं शृङ्गं यत्र तोयघना घनाः नित्यमेवाभिवर्षन्ति शिलाभिः शिखरं वरम् //

Transliteration

tatrāsti cāparaṃ śṛṅgaṃ yatra toyaghanā ghanāḥ nityamevābhivarṣanti śilābhiḥ śikharaṃ varam //

Translation

Là se trouve aussi un autre sommet où des nuées épaisses, gorgées d’eau, déversent sans cesse la pluie, si bien que la cime excellente est continuellement battue par la grêle.

Word by Word

• tatra: there

• asti: there is

• ca: and

• aparam: another

• śṛṅgam: peak, mountain-horn

• yatra: where

• toyaghanāḥ: water-bearing (rain-laden) clouds

• ghanāḥ: dense masses (of cloud)

• nityam eva: always indeed, perpetually

• abhivarṣanti: rain down, shower

• śilābhiḥ: with stones (hailstones)

• śikharam: summit, crest

• varam: excellent, splendid

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) relaying the Matsya Purana’s description (likely within a dialogue framework ultimately attributed to Lord Matsya’s teaching to Manu)

Tags

• Sacred Geography
• Cosmography
• Mountains
• Weather Omens
• Matsya Purana

FAQs

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

This verse is not a direct Pralaya (cosmic dissolution) statement; it instead describes a wondrous geographic feature—an exceptional peak marked by perpetual cloudbursts and hail—typical of Puranic cosmography.

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

Indirectly, it supports dharmic governance and household life by mapping sacred/remarkable regions: such descriptions guide pilgrimage, boundary-knowledge, and reverence for natural sanctuaries—concerns often linked to royal protection of tirthas and orderly social life.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vastu or ritual procedure is stated; however, the emphasis on continuous rain/hail can be read as an environmental marker—useful when later chapters discuss site-selection, climate, and suitability of locations for habitation or sacred construction.