Shloka 30

Matsya Purana — Catalogue of the Eighteen Puranas

Devanagari script

तच्च षोडशसाहस्रं सर्वक्रतुफलप्रदम् यः प्रदधन्नरः सो ऽथ स्वर्गलोके महीयते //

Transliteration

tacca ṣoḍaśasāhasraṃ sarvakratuphalapradam yaḥ pradadhannaraḥ so 'tha svargaloke mahīyate //

Translation

And that gift—amounting to sixteen thousand—bestows the fruit of all sacrifices. The man who gives it is then honored and exalted in the heavenly world.

Word by Word

• tat: that

• ca: and

• ṣoḍaśa-sāhasram: sixteen thousand (in measure/number)

• sarva-kratu-phala-pradam: bestowing the fruits of all sacrificial rites

• yaḥ: whoever

• pradadhan: giving, bestowing

• naraḥ: a man/person

• saḥ: he

• atha: then/thereupon

• svarga-loke: in the world of heaven

• mahīyate: is honored, is glorified

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu on dāna-dharma)

Tags

• Dāna
• Karma-phala
• Sacrifice
• Svarga
• Hindu ethics

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya; it teaches dāna-dharma, stating that a prescribed gift yields the merit (phala) of all sacrifices and leads to honor in heaven.

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

It frames charitable giving as a central duty (especially for householders and rulers), promising that properly performed dāna can confer sacrificial merit and elevate one’s posthumous status in svarga.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual point is the equivalence claim: a specific quantified gift (“sixteen thousand”) is said to grant the fruit of all kratus, highlighting dāna as a potent ritual substitute or complement to large sacrifices.