Shloka 51

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

Devanagari script

सकांस्यभाजनोपेतम् इक्षुदण्डसमन्वितम् दद्यादेतेन मन्त्रेण तथैकां गां पयस्विनीम् //

Transliteration

sakāṃsyabhājanopetam ikṣudaṇḍasamanvitam dadyādetena mantreṇa tathaikāṃ gāṃ payasvinīm //

Translation

Accompanied by a bell-metal (kāṃsya) vessel and furnished with a sugarcane staff, one should offer this gift with this mantra; likewise, one should give a single milk-yielding cow.

Word by Word

• sa-kāṃsya-bhājana-upetam: endowed/paired with a bell-metal vessel

• ikṣu-daṇḍa-samanvitam: provided with a sugarcane staff/rod

• dadyāt: one should give (as a gift)

• etena mantreṇa: with this mantra

• tathā: likewise/also

• ekām: one (single)

• gām: cow

• payasvinīm: milk-giving, lactating.

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating the Matsya Purana’s dāna-vidhi teachings, traditionally attributed to Lord Matsya’s instruction to Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Matsya Purana
• dāna (ritual charity)
• gā (cow)
• kāṃsya (bell-metal vessel)
• ikṣu (sugarcane)

Tags

• Dāna
• Gṛhastha-dharma
• Ritual items
• Cow-gift
• Mantra-vidhi

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya; it focuses on dharma through prescribed charitable gifts (dāna), specifying the proper accompanying items and the gifting of a milk-yielding cow.

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

It presents a practical gṛhastha/royal duty: performing regulated dāna with correct accessories and mantra-recitation—especially the revered gift of a productive cow—considered a major support of social-religious order in Purāṇic dharma.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual rather than architectural: the donation is to be made with specified adjuncts (a kāṃsya vessel and an ikṣu staff) and with mantra, reflecting formal dāna-vidhi procedure.