Matsya Purana — Devayānī and Śarmiṣṭhā’s Quarrel, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

ततो जलात् समुत्तीर्य ताः कन्याः सहितास्तदा वस्त्राणि जगृहुस्तानि यथासंस्थान्यनेकशः //

Transliteration

tato jalāt samuttīrya tāḥ kanyāḥ sahitāstadā vastrāṇi jagṛhustāni yathāsaṃsthānyanekaśaḥ //

Translation

பின்னர் அந்தக் கன்னியர் நீரிலிருந்து மேலேறி, அனைவரும் சேர்ந்து, பல ஆடைகளை அவற்றின் உரிய இடம்-வரிசைப்படி எடுத்துக் கொண்டனர்.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then

• jalāt: from the water

• samuttīrya: having come up/climbed out

• tāḥ: those

• kanyāḥ: maidens/young girls

• sahitāḥ: together/collectively

• tadā: at that time

• vastrāṇi: garments/clothes

• jagṛhuḥ: they took/they seized

• tāni: those (garments)

• yathā-saṃsthāni: as properly placed/according to correct arrangement

• anekaśaḥ: in many (pieces/ways), numerous

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) / Purāṇic narrator (contextual narration rather than direct dialogue)

Entities Mentioned

• kanyāḥ (maidens)

Tags

• Matsya Purana narrative
• Bathing scene
• Social conduct
• Ritual purity
• Clothing etiquette

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya or cosmogony; it is a narrative detail describing maidens emerging from water and retrieving their garments in an orderly way.

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

Indirectly, it reflects expected social decorum—orderliness, propriety, and modest conduct—which a householder society is meant to uphold and a king is expected to protect through dharmic governance.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, the imagery aligns with snāna (bathing) and post-bath propriety; there is no explicit Vāstu or temple-architecture instruction in this specific verse.