Shloka 23

Matsya Purana — Code of Conduct and Vow-Procedure for Courtesans

Devanagari script

सुवर्णोपस्करोत्सर्गाद् द्वादश्यां शुक्लपक्षतः भर्ता नारायणो नूनं भविष्यत्यन्यजन्मनि //

Transliteration

suvarṇopaskarotsargād dvādaśyāṃ śuklapakṣataḥ bhartā nārāyaṇo nūnaṃ bhaviṣyatyanyajanmani //

Translation

By gifting golden articles on the Dvādaśī of the bright fortnight (Śukla-pakṣa), one’s husband will certainly be Nārāyaṇa in a future birth.

Word by Word

• suvarṇa: gold

• upaskara: implements/articles (household or ritual requisites)

• utsargāt: from the act of gifting/donating

• dvādaśyām: on the twelfth lunar day (Dvādaśī)

• śuklapakṣataḥ: in the bright fortnight

• bhartā: husband/lord

• nārāyaṇaḥ: Nārāyaṇa (Viṣṇu)

• nūnam: indeed, certainly

• bhaviṣyati: will become/will be

• anyajanmani: in another birth

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating the Matsya Purana’s vrata-dāna teaching, traditionally framed as Matsya’s instruction to Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Narayana
• Dvadashi
• Shukla Paksha

Tags

• Dāna
• Vrata
• Dvādaśī
• Viṣṇu-bhakti
• Puṇya

FAQs

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

Nothing directly—this verse focuses on vrata and dāna (vows and charitable gifting), not on pralaya or cosmology.

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

It promotes the householder ethic of dāna performed on auspicious tithis (here, bright-fortnight Dvādaśī), presenting charity and Viṣṇu-oriented observance as a means to secure auspicious familial and spiritual outcomes.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it specifies timing (Dvādaśī in the śukla pakṣa) and the act of donating golden articles; it does not address Vāstu or temple architecture in this verse.