Matsya Purana — Purūravas Beholds the Divine Himalayan River, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

सितहंसावलिच्छन्नां काशचामरराजिताम् साभिषिक्तामिव सतां पश्यन्प्रीतिं परां ययौ //

Transliteration

sitahaṃsāvalicchannāṃ kāśacāmararājitām sābhiṣiktāmiva satāṃ paśyanprītiṃ parāṃ yayau //

Translation

ਚਿੱਟੇ ਹੰਸਾਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਕਤਾਰਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਢੱਕਿਆ ਅਤੇ ਕਾਸ ਘਾਹ ਦੇ ਚਾਮਰਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਚਮਕਦਾ, ਜਿਵੇਂ ਸਤਪੁਰਖਾਂ ਲਈ ਅਭਿਸ਼ਿਕਤ ਹੋਵੇ—ਇਹ ਵੇਖ ਕੇ ਉਹ ਪਰਮ ਪ੍ਰਸੰਨਤਾ ਨੂੰ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਹੋਇਆ।

Word by Word

• sita: white

• haṃsa: swan

• āvali: row/line

• channām: covered/overlaid

• kāśa: kāśa grass (Saccharum spontaneum)

• cāmara: flywhisk

• rājitām: shining, adorned, resplendent

• sābhiṣiktām: as if consecrated/anointed

• iva: as if

• satām: of the good/virtuous

• paśyan: seeing, beholding

• prītim: joy, delight

• parām: highest, supreme

• yayau: went/attained (came to experience).

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) describing the scene within the Matsya Purana’s Vastu/Iconography-style passage (probable narrative voice; not a direct dialogue line)

Entities Mentioned

• Haṃsa (swan)
• Kāśa grass
• Cāmara (flywhisk)
• Sat (the virtuous)

Tags

• Vastu Shastra
• Auspicious Adornment
• Iconography
• Ritual Consecration
• Royal/Temple Splendour

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it highlights auspicious, purity-signifying imagery (white swans, cāmara) used to describe a consecrated-looking sacred/royal setting.

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

It reflects the dharmic ideal of maintaining a pure, orderly, and ritually proper environment—spaces that appear “consecrated” for the virtuous—an implied duty in royal/household patronage of sacred aesthetics and hospitality.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The key ritual cue is “sābhiṣiktām iva” (as if consecrated): the décor and whiteness/purity symbolism function like visual markers of abhiṣeka-style sanctification, aligning with Vastu-driven ideals of auspicious presentation.