Matsya Purana — Design and Splendour of Tripura: Maya’s Threefold Moving Fortress, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

इत्येवं मानसं तत्राकल्पयत्पुरकल्पवित् मयेन तत्पुरं सृष्टं त्रिपुरं त्विति नः श्रुतम् //

Transliteration

ityevaṃ mānasaṃ tatrākalpayatpurakalpavit mayena tatpuraṃ sṛṣṭaṃ tripuraṃ tviti naḥ śrutam //

Translation

یوں شہر سازی کا ماہر وہاں اسے اپنے ذہن میں ترتیب دیتا گیا۔ مَیَہ نے وہ شہر بنایا—جیسا کہ ہم نے سنا ہے—اسی لیے اسے ‘تریپور’ یعنی سہ گانہ شہر کہا گیا۔

Word by Word

• iti evam: thus indeed

• mānasam: mentally, in the mind

• tatra: there

• akalpayat: he devised/arranged

• purakalpavit: one skilled in the canons of city-planning (purakalpa)

• mayena: by Maya (the architect/demiurgic artisan)

• tat: that

• puram: city/fortress

• sṛṣṭam: created/constructed

• tripuram: Tripura, the three cities

• tu: indeed/and

• iti: thus

• naḥ: by us/for us

• śrutam: heard (as tradition).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (narrating to Vaivasvata Manu in the Matsya Purana dialogue frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Maya
• Tripura

Tags

• Vastu Shastra
• Town planning
• Tripura
• Asura architecture
• Puranic lore

FAQs

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

This verse is about creation-by-design: a city is first conceived mentally by a master of purakalpa and then constructed by Maya; it does not describe Pralaya directly.

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

It underscores the ideal that settlements and forts should be planned by competent experts (purakalpavit), implying that a king should employ proper knowledge and skilled artisans when founding cities and defenses.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

It highlights a core Vastuvidya principle: mental conception (mānasa-kalpanā) and codified planning (purakalpa) precede physical construction—here exemplified through Maya building the famed Tripura.