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

Nang masdan niya iyon—nababalutan ng hanay ng mapuputing sisne at kumikislap sa mga chamara na yari sa makinang na damong kāśa—na wari’y inabhiseka para sa mga banal, napuspos siya ng sukdulang galak.

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.