Shloka 41

Matsya Purana — Catalogue of the Eighteen Puranas

Devanagari script

काञ्चनं गरुडं कृत्वा तिलधेनुसमन्वितम् पौर्णमास्यां मधौ दद्याद् ब्राह्मणाय कुटुम्बिने वराहस्य प्रसादेन पदमाप्नोति वैष्णवम् //

Transliteration

kāñcanaṃ garuḍaṃ kṛtvā tiladhenusamanvitam paurṇamāsyāṃ madhau dadyād brāhmaṇāya kuṭumbine varāhasya prasādena padamāpnoti vaiṣṇavam //

Translation

Having fashioned a golden Garuḍa, together with a sesame-cow (tiladhenu), one should give it on the full-moon day in the month of Madhu to a householder Brāhmaṇa; by the grace of Varāha, one attains the Vaiṣṇava abode/state.

Word by Word

• kāñcanam: made of gold, golden

• garuḍam: Garuḍa (Viṣṇu’s mount)

• kṛtvā: having made/fashioned

• tila-dhenu-samanvitam: accompanied by the ‘sesame-cow’ gift (tiladhenu) / endowed with tiladhenu

• paurṇamāsyām: on the full-moon day

• madhau: in Madhu (a spring month/seasonal designation)

• dadyāt: should give (as a gift)

• brāhmaṇāya: to a Brāhmaṇa

• kuṭumbine: a householder (family-man)

• varāhasya: of Varāha (the Boar incarnation of Viṣṇu)

• prasādena: by grace/favor

• padam: abode, state, highest station

• āpnoti: attains

• vaiṣṇavam: Vaiṣṇava (pertaining to Viṣṇu), the Viṣṇu-abode.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, in the broader didactic frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Garuḍa
• Varāha
• Brāhmaṇa
• Paurṇamāsī (Full-moon observance)
• Tiladhenu (sesame-cow gift)

Tags

• Dāna
• Vaiṣṇava Dharma
• Vrata
• Ritual Gifts
• Paurṇamāsī

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya directly; it belongs to dāna-dharma, teaching that specific ritual gifts (a golden Garuḍa with tiladhenu) lead to a Vaiṣṇava spiritual attainment through Varāha’s grace.

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

It frames a dharmic duty of giving: a donor should offer prescribed gifts on an auspicious lunar day (Paurṇamāsī) to a qualified householder Brāhmaṇa, highlighting merit-making charity as a key obligation for householders and rulers alike.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual rather than architectural: it prescribes the making (pratimā-style crafting) of a golden Garuḍa and the accompanying tiladhenu dāna, timed to the full moon in Madhu, emphasizing correct materials, pairing of gifts, and calendrical observance.