Matsya Purana — The Strategy to Defeat Tāraka: Pārvatī’s Birth, Shloka 128

Devanagari script

नानातपोभिर्मुनिभिर् ज्वलनार्कसमप्रभैः पावनैः पावितो नित्यं त्वत्कन्दरसमाश्रितैः //

Transliteration

nānātapobhirmunibhir jvalanārkasamaprabhaiḥ pāvanaiḥ pāvito nityaṃ tvatkandarasamāśritaiḥ //

Translation

നാനാതപസ്സുകളാൽ സമ്പന്നമായ മുനിമാർ—അഗ്നിയുടെയും സൂര്യന്റെയും സമാനമായ പ്രഭയുള്ളവർ, സ്വയം പാവനരും പാവനമാക്കുന്നവരും—നിന്റെ ഗുഹയിൽ ആശ്രയിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നതിനാൽ ഈ സ്ഥലം നിത്യം പരിശുദ്ധീകരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• nānā: various, manifold

• tapobhiḥ: by austerities/penances

• munibhiḥ: by sages

• jvalana: fire

• arka: the sun

• sama-prabhaiḥ: having equal/comparable radiance

• pāvanaiḥ: by the purifying/pure ones

• pāvitaḥ: sanctified, made holy

• nityam: always, continually

• tvat: your

• kandara: cave, grotto (mountain cave)

• samāśritaiḥ: by those who have taken refuge/dwell in

Speaker

• Likely Sūta (narrator) or a praising interlocutor describing the sanctity of a sacred cave-hermitage (tīrtha context within Matsya Purana Adhyaya 154).

Entities Mentioned

• Munis (sages/ṛṣis)

Tags

• Tirtha
• Tapas
• Ashrama
• Himalaya
• Purification

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe pralaya directly; it emphasizes a different Purāṇic theme—how sustained tapas and the presence of radiant sages continually purify and sanctify a sacred locale.

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

It supports the dharmic ideal of honoring ascetics and sacred places: a king protects hermitages and tīrthas, and a householder gains merit through reverence, support, and pilgrimage to sanctified abodes where tapas is practiced.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The focus is not temple architecture but the sanctity of a natural sacred space (kandara/cave) functioning as an āśrama; ritually, it implies tīrtha-style purification through association with tapas and the presence of purified sages.