Matsya Purana — Intermediate Dissolution, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

दानधर्मविधिं चैव श्राद्धकल्पं च शाश्वतम् वर्णाश्रमविभागं च तथेष्टापूर्तसंज्ञितम् //

Transliteration

dānadharmavidhiṃ caiva śrāddhakalpaṃ ca śāśvatam varṇāśramavibhāgaṃ ca tatheṣṭāpūrtasaṃjñitam //

Translation

وكذلك (يبيّن) نظامَ الصدقة وأحكامَها، وسُنّةَ شرادها (śrāddha) الدائمة لطقوس الأسلاف، وتقسيمَ الفَرْنَة (varṇa) والآشرَمَة (āśrama)، ومثلَ ذلك ما يُسمّى إِشْتَة وبُورْتَة (iṣṭa, pūrta) من أعمال القربان والنفع العام.

Word by Word

• दान (dāna): charitable giving

• धर्मविधिम् (dharma-vidhim): rule/procedure of dharma

• च एव (ca eva): and indeed/also

• श्राद्धकल्पम् (śrāddha-kalpam): the prescribed method/ritual code for śrāddha

• च (ca): and

• शाश्वतम् (śāśvatam): eternal/enduring

• वर्णाश्रमविभागम् (varṇāśrama-vibhāgam): division/classification of varṇas and āśramas

• च (ca): and

• तथा (tathā): likewise

• इष्टापूर्तसंज्ञितम् (iṣṭāpūrta-saṃjñitam): that which is termed iṣṭa and pūrta (ritual sacrifices and works of public welfare).

Speaker

• Suta (narrating the Matsya Purana’s scope; within the broader dialogue tradition associated with Lord Matsya and Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Śrāddha
• Varṇa
• Āśrama
• Iṣṭa
• Pūrta
• Dāna

Tags

• Dharma
• Dāna
• Śrāddha
• Varṇāśrama
• Ritual

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it is a topical summary emphasizing dharma—charity, śrāddha rites, varṇāśrama organization, and meritorious works (iṣṭa–pūrta).

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

It frames core obligations: practicing dāna (regulated charity), performing śrāddha for ancestors, upholding varṇāśrama-based responsibilities, and supporting iṣṭa–pūrta—both sacrificial worship and public-benefit works that a householder funds and a king institutionalizes.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it highlights śrāddha-kalpa (formalized ancestor-rite procedure). Architecturally/charitably, pūrta implies public works (such as wells, tanks, rest-houses, temples), linking dharma to community infrastructure—an idea later expanded in Matsya Purana’s vastu and temple-related sections.