Shloka 49

Matsya Purana — Catalogue of the Eighteen Puranas

Devanagari script

यो दद्यादयने कूर्मं हेमकूर्मसमन्वितम् गोसहस्रप्रदानस्य फलं सम्प्राप्नुयान्नरः //

Transliteration

yo dadyādayane kūrmaṃ hemakūrmasamanvitam gosahasrapradānasya phalaṃ samprāpnuyānnaraḥ //

Translation

A man who, at the time of the ayana (solstice), gives a tortoise in gift together with a golden tortoise image attains merit equal to the donation of a thousand cows.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: whoever

• dadyāt: would give (as a ritual gift)

• ayane: at the ayana (solstice

• kūrmam: a tortoise

• hema-kūrma-samanvitam: accompanied by/along with a golden tortoise (gold image or ornament)

• go-sahasra-pradānasya: of the donation of a thousand cows

• phalam: the fruit/merit

• samprāpnuyāt: would obtain/attain

• naraḥ: a man (householder).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu on dāna-dharma

Entities Mentioned

• Kurma (tortoise)
• Ayana (solstice)

Tags

• Dāna
• Ritual Merit
• Ayana
• Householder Dharma
• Puranic Gifts

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya directly; it focuses on dāna-dharma, teaching that properly timed and symbolically appropriate gifts yield vast spiritual merit.

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

It frames charity as a key duty: by giving prescribed gifts on sacred calendrical moments like ayana, a householder (and by extension a king) accrues merit comparable to major donations such as gifting a thousand cows.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is calendrical and symbolic: the ayana timing and the paired offering (tortoise plus golden tortoise image) indicate a rule-based, merit-amplifying dāna procedure rather than a Vāstu/temple-building instruction.