Shloka 32

Matsya Purana — Bhīma-Dvādaśī

Devanagari script

सर्पिषा चापि दहनं हुत्वा ब्राह्मणपुंगवैः सहैव पुण्डरीकाक्ष द्वादश्यां क्षीरभोजनम् //

Transliteration

sarpiṣā cāpi dahanaṃ hutvā brāhmaṇapuṃgavaiḥ sahaiva puṇḍarīkākṣa dvādaśyāṃ kṣīrabhojanam //

Translation

O lotus-eyed Lord, having also offered the fire-oblation with ghee together with the foremost of brāhmaṇas, one should on the Dvādaśī day take food consisting of milk.

Word by Word

• sarpīṣā (sarpiṣā): with ghee/clarified butter

• ca api: and also

• dahanam: into the fire / the fire(-rite)

• hutvā: having offered (as oblation)

• brāhmaṇa-puṅgavaiḥ: with the best/foremost brāhmaṇas

• saha eva: together indeed

• puṇḍarīka-akṣa: O lotus-eyed one (Viṣṇu)

• dvādaśyām: on the twelfth lunar day (Dvādaśī)

• kṣīra-bhojanam: milk as food / a milk-diet.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (as an instructor of dharma) addressing Vaivasvata Manu (vocative: puṇḍarīkākṣa indicates the Lord is being addressed within the dialogue frame; the teaching concerns a Vaiṣṇava observance).

Entities Mentioned

• Puṇḍarīkākṣa (Viṣṇu)
• Brāhmaṇas
• Dvādaśī

Tags

• Vrata
• Dvādaśī
• Vaiṣṇava Dharma
• Homa
• Dietary Observance

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it prescribes a Dvādaśī observance—ghee oblations and a milk-based diet—within the Matsya Purana’s ritual-dharma instructions.

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

It frames a disciplined religious routine: performing homa with ghee, associating with learned brāhmaṇas, and observing regulated diet on Dvādaśī—practices encouraged for householders (and rulers) to cultivate purity, merit, and Vaiṣṇava devotion.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is explicit: a ghṛta-homa (ghee oblation into fire) performed with eminent brāhmaṇas, followed by kṣīra-bhojana (milk-diet) on Dvādaśī—key elements of vrata-vidhi rather than Vāstu/temple architecture.