Matsya Purana — Description of Atri’s Hermitage: Sacred Grove Planning, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

वानरैः क्रीडमानैश्च देशाद्देशान्नराधिप हिमपुञ्जाः कृतास्तत्र चन्द्रबिम्बसमप्रभाः //

Transliteration

vānaraiḥ krīḍamānaiśca deśāddeśānnarādhipa himapuñjāḥ kṛtāstatra candrabimbasamaprabhāḥ //

Translation

Ô roi, là, tandis que les singes s’ébattaient de lieu en lieu, ils amoncelèrent des tas de neige, resplendissant d’un éclat pareil au disque de la lune.

Word by Word

• वानरैः: by monkeys

• क्रीडमानैः: while playing/sporting

• च: and

• देशात् देशान्: from place to place

• नराधिप: O lord of men (king)

• हिमपुञ्जाः: heaps/piles of snow

• कृताः: were made/constructed

• तत्र: there

• चन्द्रबिम्ब-सम-प्रभाः: having splendor comparable to the moon-disc

Speaker

• Suta (or the primary Purana narrator) addressing a king (narādhipa) within the narrative frame

Entities Mentioned

• Vānara (monkeys)
• Narādhipa (king)
• Chandra (moon)

Tags

• Landscape
• Narrative imagery
• Travel description
• Nature
• Simile (moon-like radiance)

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it is a descriptive scene emphasizing playful activity and luminous natural imagery (snow compared to the moon’s disc).

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

Direct duties are not stated; the address “O king” functions as a narrative convention, situating the description within royal listening contexts typical of Purāṇic instruction and entertainment.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu or ritual rule appears; the verse contributes aesthetic landscape detail (bright, moonlike snow-heaps) rather than temple-building or rite procedure.