Matsya Purana — Rite of Donating the ‘Sugar Mountain’, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

धान्यपर्वतवत्सर्वम् आवाहनविधानकम् कृत्वा तु गुरवे दद्यान् मध्यमं पर्वतोत्तमम् ऋत्विग्भ्यश् चतुरः शैलान् इमान्मन्त्रानुदीरयन् //

Transliteration

dhānyaparvatavatsarvam āvāhanavidhānakam kṛtvā tu gurave dadyān madhyamaṃ parvatottamam ṛtvigbhyaś caturaḥ śailān imānmantrānudīrayan //

Translation

Nachdem man den ganzen Ritus der Herabrufung (āvāhana) und das gesamte Verfahren genau wie bei der Darbringung des «Berges aus Korn» vollzogen hat, soll man dem eigenen Guru den vortrefflichen mittleren Berg darreichen; und sodann, während man diese Mantras rezitiert, die vier übrigen Berge den amtierenden Priestern (ṛtvij) geben.

Word by Word

• dhānya: grain, corn

• parvata-vat: like a mountain / in the manner of a mountain

• sarvam: all, the entire (rite)

• āvāhana: invocation (calling the deity/presence)

• vidhāna-kam: the prescribed procedure/arrangement

• kṛtvā: having done, having performed

• tu: then, indeed

• gurave: to the guru (spiritual preceptor)

• dadyāt: should give

• madhyamam: the middle one

• parvata-uttamam: the best/excellent mountain

• ṛtvigbhyaḥ: to the ṛtviks (officiating priests)

• caturaḥ: four

• śailān: mountains (lit. rocks/hills

• imān: these

• mantrān: mantras

• udīrayan: uttering, reciting aloud.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, within the dāna-vidhi discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• Guru
• Ṛtvij (officiating priests)
• Dhānya-parvata (grain-mountain offering)

Tags

• Dāna
• Ritual Procedure
• Householder Dharma
• Priestly Fees
• Mantra-Recitation

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it focuses on dāna-vidhi—how to complete an invocation-based ritual and distribute the offering to the guru and ṛtviks.

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

It frames a core householder/royal duty: performing prescribed rites correctly and giving appropriate gifts—honoring the guru with the principal share and compensating officiating priests with allotted portions.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is procedural: it requires āvāhana (formal invocation) and a structured distribution of symbolic ‘mountains’ (parvata/śaila offerings), accompanied by mantra-recitation—indicating a standardized liturgical protocol.