Matsya Purana 259: adhyāyaḥ 259

259.1

pratimālakṣaṇa

Sūta said:—"Now I shall tell you more minutely about the forms of the images of the different Devas The image of Śrī Râmachandra, Bali, the son of Virochana, Varâha and Narasiṁha should be of ten (10) tâlas and that of Vâmana is to be of 7 tâlas The images of Matsya and Kûrma may be made of the dimensions that may appear fit to the devotee to make the image look beautiful—1-2 "Now hear about the construction of the images of Śiva." The thighs of the images should be bulky and the arms and the shoulders should be of the colour of burnished gold. They should possess lustre like gold, His matted hairs should be like the rays of the Sun, His forehead is to be marked with the crescent of the Moon. He is to have a crown and His form should be like a youth of 16 years of age.—3-4

259.2

ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣyāmi devākārān viśeṣataḥ.
daśatālaḥ smṛto rāmo balirvairocanistathā .. 259.1

259.3

varāho nārasiṃhaśca saptatālastu vāmanaḥ.
matsyakūrmau ca nirdiṣṭau yathā śobhaṃ svayambhuvā .. 259.2

259.4

ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣyāmi rudrādyākāramuttamam.
sa pīnorubhujaskandha staptakāñcanasaprabhaḥ .. 259.3

259.5

śuklo'rkaraśmisaṃghāta ścandrāṅkitajaṭo vibhuḥ.
jaṭāmukuṭadhārī ca dvyaṣṭavarṣākṛtiśca saḥ .. 259.4

259.6

bāhuvāraṇahastābho vṛtajaṅghorumaṇḍalaḥ.
ūd‌rdhvakeśaśca kartavyo dīrghāyatavilocanaḥ .. 259.5

The arms should be like the hands (trunk) of an elephant, the thighs and ankles should be beautifully round the hairs should be straight, the eyes should be broad and extended, the image should be represented to be wearing a tiger skin, and a girdle of three strings should be made round the waist. Then the image should be decorated with garlands necklaces, armlets and serpents The cheeks should be represented fatty, and earrings should be placed in the ears The hands should be made long enough to reach the knees and the general appearance should be serene and peaceful. Kheṭaka (sword) should be placed in the left hand and axe in His right hand, trident, Sakti, staff should be placed on His right side. To the left of the image should be placed a skull snake and Khaṭvāṅga. When He is about to dance on His bull, He has two hands. With His one hand he bestows boons, with the other he holds, armlets (or Rudrâkṣa should be placed in the other hand). The image should be made in the peculiar posture to appear as if the Lord was witnessing a dance.—5-10

259.7

vyāghracarmaparīdhānaḥ kaṭisūtra trayānvitaḥ.
hārakeyūrasampanno bhujaṅgābharaṇastathā .. 259.6

259.8

bāhavaścāpi kartavyā nānābharaṇabhūṣitāḥ.
pīnorugaṇḍaphalakaḥ kuṇḍalābhyāmalaṃkṛtaḥ .. 259.7

259.9

ājānulambabāhuśca saumyamūrtiḥ suśobhanaḥ.
kheṭakaṃ vāmahaste tu śaṅkhañcaiva tu dakṣiṇe .. 259.8

259.10

śaktiṃ daṇḍaṃ triśūla़ñca dakṣiṇeṣu niveśayet.
kapālaṃ vāmaparśve tu nāgaṃ khaṭvāṅgameva ca .. 259.9

259.11

ekaśca varado hastastathākṣavalayo'paraḥ.
vaiśākhasthānakaṃ kṛtvā nṛtyābhinayasaṃsthitaḥ .. 259.10

259.12

nṛtyandaśabhujaḥ kāryo gajacarmadharastathā.
tathā tripuradāhe ca bāhavaḥ ṣor̤aśaiva tu .. 259.11

The image of Lord Śiva in the dancing posture should be made with ten arms wearing the hide of an elephant. His image representing the scene of the destruction of Tripura should be made with sixteen hands Conch, quoit, club, bow, Dhanus Pinâk and Viṣṇu Śara (arrow) in His eight hands when He presents a form having eight hands.—11-12

259.13

śaṅkhaṃ cakraṃ gadāśārṅgaṃ ghaṇṭā tatrādhikā bhavet.
tathā dhanuḥ pinākañca śaro viṣṇumayastathā .. 259.12

259.14

caturbhujo'ṣṭa bāhurvā jñānayogeśvaro mataḥ.
tīkṣṇanāsāgradaśanaḥ karālavadano mahān .. 259.13

The image of the Lord with 4 or 8 hands represents His Jñāna Yogeśvara form. The image of His Bhairava form should be made with an aquiline nose, sharp teeth and formidable appearance and can be placed in every house. The images of Bhairava Narasiṅha and Varāha are also formidable and these should never be placed in the Mûla ayatana (main dwelling house).—13-15

259.15

bhairavaḥ śasyate loke pratyāyatanasaṃsthitaḥ.
na mūlāyatane kārye bhairavastu bhayaṅkaraḥ .. 259.14

259.16

nārasiṃha varāho vā tathānye'pi bhayaṅkarāḥ.
nādhikāṅgāṃ na hīnāṅgāṃ kartavyā devatāḥ kvacit .. 259.15

No image is to be made with lesser or greater number of limbs than usual. An image with some limb missing or one with a formidable appearance brings ruination on the owner, the one with limbs in excess destroys the sculptor, lean images devastate the riches, the one with a lean and thin abdomen brings about famine, the one with less fleshy appearance ruins wealth, the one with a crooked nose brings about misery, the one with sparse limbs are terrible causes of misfortune and fear.—16-17

259.17

svāminaṃ ghātayennyūnā karālavadanā tathā.
adhikā śilpinaṃ hanyāt kṛśā caivārthanāśinī .. 259.16

259.18

kṛśodarī tu durbhikṣaṃ nirmāṃsā dhananāśinī.
vakranāsā tu duḥkhāya saṅkṣiptāṅgī bhayaṅkarī .. 259.17

259.19

cipiṭā duḥkhaśokāya anetrā netranāśinī.
duḥkhadā hīnavaktrā tu pāṇipādakṛśā tathā .. 259.18

The one with flat face and eyes causes grief and anguish, the blind image causes injury to the eyes the one without a mouth or with decrepit limbs causes misery.—18

259.20

hīnāṅgī hīnajaṅghā ca bhramonmādakarī nṛṇām.
śuṣkavaktrā tu rājānaṃ kaṭihīnā ca yā bhavet .. 259.19

The one with defective limbs especially without thighs, causes fear and madness, the one with a dried face or without waist troubles the king, the one void of hands and feet brings some 'epidemic, the one bereft of ankles and knees causes joy to the enemies.—19-20 The one without a chest destroys sons and friends The image complete in every way brings prosperity and long life So the image of Lord Śiva should be made in full as described heretofore and all the Devas, Indra, Nandikeśvara, eight Lokapâlas, Ganeśvara, should be located surrounding the image in a praying posture so that one can have a view of the Lord The devils, fiends and Vetalas should also be made in a dancing posture and praying before the Lord All these images should have the appeaince of infinite joy and absorbed in their devotion to the Lord The image of the Lord should be made with three eyes, surrounded by the praying Gandharvas, Vidyâdharas, Kinnaras, nymphs, Guhyakas, attendants, sages etc, etc—21-26

259.21

pāṇipādavihīno yo jāyate mārako mahān.
jaṅghājānuvīhinā ca śatrukalyāṇakāriṇī .. 259.20

259.22

putramitravināśāya hīnavakṣasthalā tu yā.
sampūrṇāvayavā yā tu āyurlakṣmī pradā sadā .. 259.21

259.23

evaṃ lakṣaṇamāsādya kartavyaḥ parameśvaraḥ.
stūyamānaḥ suraiḥ sarvaiḥ samantāddarśayed bhavam .. 259.22

259.24

śakreṇa nandinā caiva mahākālena śaṅkaram.
praṇatā lokapālāstu pārśve tu gaṇanāyakāḥ .. 259.23

259.25

nṛtyadbhṛṅgīriṭiścaiva bhūtavetālasaṃvṛtāḥ.
sarve hṛṣṭāstu kartavyāḥ stuvantaḥ parameśvaram .. 259.24

259.26

gandharva vidyādhara kinnarāṇāmathāpsaro guhyakanāyakānām.
gaṇairanekaiḥ śataśo mahendrairmunipravīrairapi namyamānam.. 259.25

259.27

dhṛtākṣasūtraiḥ śataśaḥ prabāla puṣpopahāra pracayandadadbhiḥ.
saṃstūyamānaṃ bhagavantamīḍyaṃ netratrayeṇāmaramartyapūjyam .. 259.26