Shloka 32

The Glory of Bhārata-varṣa: Enumerating Mountains, Rivers, and Regions

Devanagari script

विश्वस्य मातरः सर्वाः सर्वाश्चैव महाफलाः । तथा नद्यः सुप्रकाशाः शतशोथ सहस्रशः

Transliteration

viśvasya mātaraḥ sarvāḥ sarvāścaiva mahāphalāḥ | tathā nadyaḥ suprakāśāḥ śataśotha sahasraśaḥ

Translation

Здесь присутствуют все Матери вселенной — каждая воистину дарует великие плоды; так же и реки, сияюще явленные, сотнями и даже тысячами.

Word by Word

• viśvasya: of the world
• viśvasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• mātaraḥ: mothers
• mātaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• sarvāḥ: all
• sarvāḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (mātaraḥ इत्यस्य)

• sarvāḥ: all
• sarvāḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (नद्यः इत्यस्य)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• mahā-phalāḥ: greatly fruitful
• mahā-phalāḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण; समासः—कर्मधारय (महत् फलम् यस्याः/यासाम्)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकार/रीति-वाचक (adverb)

• nadyaḥ: rivers
• nadyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• su-prakāśāḥ: very renowned/bright
• su-prakāśāḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (अव्यय/उपसर्ग) + prakāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण; समासः—कर्मधारय (अत्यन्त-प्रकाशाः/प्रसिद्धाः)

• śataśaḥ: by hundreds
• śataśaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śataśas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, परिमाण-वाचक (distributive adverb: ‘by hundreds’)

• sahasraśaḥ: by thousands
• sahasraśaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sahasraśas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, परिमाण-वाचक (distributive adverb: ‘by thousands’)

Speaker

Unknown (not specified in the provided excerpt; likely within the Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue frame typical of the Padma Purāṇa)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: celestial_realm

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: ‘sarvāścaiva’ = sarvāḥ + ca + eva. Adjectives agree with implied feminine plural subjects (mātaraḥ/nadyaḥ).

FAQs

Who are the “Mothers of the universe” (viśvasya mātaraḥ) in this verse?

The phrase can denote revered divine mother-forms (Śakti/Devī manifestations) or sanctified maternal powers associated with protection and blessing; the verse emphasizes their collective presence and merit-bestowing nature rather than naming specific goddesses.

What does the verse suggest about sacred geography (tīrthas and rivers)?

It portrays a vast sacred landscape where innumerable rivers are considered luminous and spiritually potent, implying that holiness is distributed across many waterways and pilgrimage contexts, not restricted to a single site.

What is the main spiritual takeaway of this shloka?

Reverence toward divine maternal powers and sacred rivers is presented as highly fruitful (mahāphala), highlighting a Purāṇic ethic of honoring life-giving forces—especially waters and motherly divinity—as a source of merit and upliftment.