Matsya Purana — Navagraha Sacrifice for Planetary Pacification and Prosperity, Shloka 151

Devanagari script

नववायसरक्ताढ्यपात्रत्रयसमन्विताः समिधो वामहस्तेन श्येनास्थिबलसंयुताः होतव्या मुक्तकेशैस्तु ध्यायद्भिरशिवं रिपौ //

Transliteration

navavāyasaraktāḍhyapātratrayasamanvitāḥ samidho vāmahastena śyenāsthibalasaṃyutāḥ hotavyā muktakeśaistu dhyāyadbhiraśivaṃ ripau //

Translation

Die Opferhölzer (samidh), begleitet von drei Gefäßen, die mit dem Blut von neun Krähen gefüllt sind, und gestärkt durch die Kraft der Knochen eines Falken (śyena), sind mit der linken Hand ins Feuer zu opfern; dabei sollen die Ausführenden, mit gelöstem Haar, darauf meditieren, dass Unheil den Feind treffe.

Word by Word

• नव (nava): nine

• वायस (vāyasa): crow

• रक्त (rakta): blood

• आढ्य (āḍhya): filled/abundant

• पात्रत्रय (pātratraya): three vessels

• समन्विताः (samanvitāḥ): accompanied/provided with

• समिधः (samidhaḥ): fuel-sticks for the sacrificial fire

• वामहस्तेन (vāmahastena): with the left hand

• श्येन (śyena): hawk/falcon

• अस्थि (asthi): bone

• बल (bala): strength/power

• संयुताः (saṃyutāḥ): joined with/endowed with

• होतव्या (hotavyā): to be offered (as oblations)

• मुक्तकेशैः (muktakeśaiḥ): with hair loosened/unbound

• तु (tu): indeed

• ध्यायद्भिः (dhyāyadbhiḥ): by those meditating/contemplating

• अशिवम् (aśivam): inauspiciousness/misfortune

• रिपौ (ripau): toward/on the enemy.

Speaker

• Suta (narratorial transmission of ritual procedure; presented within the Matsya Purana’s instructional discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• Agni (implied by homa)
• Enemy (ripu)
• Crow (vāyasa)
• Hawk/Falcon (śyena)

Tags

• Ritual
• Homa
• Abhichara
• Tantric-style procedure
• Protective/Hostile rites

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it describes a specific ritualized homa intended to direct inauspiciousness toward an enemy, using marked materials and left-hand offering as a technical procedure.

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

In the Purana’s broader ethical frame, rulers and householders are generally urged to uphold dharma and restraint; this verse instead records a specialized hostile rite (abhichara) that would be treated as exceptional, regulated, and context-dependent rather than a routine duty.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual, not architectural: it prescribes homa details—specific vessels, specific substances, the left-hand mode of offering, loosened hair, and focused intention—indicating a technically defined rite aimed at affecting an adversary.