Matsya Purana — Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī: The Sixty Sacred Vows, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

माघे निश्यार्द्रवासाः स्यात् सप्तम्यां गोप्रदो भवेत् दिवि कल्पमुषित्वेह राजा स्यात्पवनं व्रतम् //

Transliteration

māghe niśyārdravāsāḥ syāt saptamyāṃ goprado bhavet divi kalpamuṣitveha rājā syātpavanaṃ vratam //

Translation

Im Monat Māgha soll man Gewänder tragen, die von der Nacht (Tau) befeuchtet sind. Am siebten Mondtag soll man eine Kuh als Almosen geben. Nachdem man im Himmel eine Kalpa verweilt hat, wird man hier auf Erden ein König. Dies heißt Pavana-vrata (Wind/Reinigungsgelübde).

Word by Word

• māghe: in (the month of) Māgha

• niśyā-ardra-vāsāḥ: wearing clothes made damp by the night/dew

• syāt: should be/let it be

• saptamyām: on the seventh (tithi)

• go-pradaḥ: giver of a cow (cow-donor)

• bhavet: becomes

• divi: in heaven

• kalpam: an aeon, a kalpa

• uṣitvā: having dwelt/stayed

• iha: here (on earth)

• rājā: a king

• syāt: becomes

• pavanaṃ: Pavana, wind/purifier

• vratam: vow/observance

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Māgha
• Saptamī
• Go-dāna
• Pavana-vrata

Tags

• Vrata
• Dana
• Māgha
• Saptamī
• Phalaśruti

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it belongs to vrata-phalāni (results of vows), describing a Māgha observance and its karmic fruit (heavenly enjoyment and later kingship).

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

It prescribes householder-style dharma: bodily discipline (austerity through dew-damp clothing) and charity (go-dāna on Saptamī), teaching that purity and generosity are foundations for prosperity and rulership.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual rather than architectural: it defines a specific tithi-based observance in Māgha, culminating in cow-gift charity, and names the practice as the Pavana (purifying) vrata.