Shloka 20

Matsya Purana — Eclipse-Time Planetary Bath

Devanagari script

यजमानस्य शिरसि निदध्युस्ते द्विजोत्तमाः ततो ऽतिवाहयेद्वेलाम् उपरागानुगामिनीम् //

Transliteration

yajamānasya śirasi nidadhyuste dvijottamāḥ tato 'tivāhayedvelām uparāgānugāminīm //

Translation

Those excellent brāhmaṇas should place it upon the sacrificer’s head; thereafter he should pass the time in observances that continue for the duration of the eclipse.

Word by Word

• yajamānasya: of the sacrificer/patron of the rite

• śirasi: on (his) head

• nidadhyuḥ: should place/lay (it)

• te: those

• dvijottamāḥ: best among the twice-born (Brahmins)

• tataḥ: then/thereafter

• ativāhayet: should while away/should spend (the time)

• velām: the period/interval (time-span)

• uparāga-anugāminīm: following the eclipse / lasting along with the eclipse (i.e., for its duration)

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) conveying the prescribed rite (vidhi) as taught in the Matsya Purana’s discourse tradition

Entities Mentioned

• Dvijottama (Brahmins)
• Yajamāna (ritual patron)
• Uparāga (eclipse)

Tags

• Grahaṇa
• Uparāga
• Vrata
• Ritual
• Dharma

FAQs

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

This verse does not speak about cosmic creation or Pralaya; it gives a practical injunction for correct conduct during an eclipse, emphasizing disciplined observance for the eclipse’s full duration.

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

As a dharma rule for the yajamāna (often a householder patron), it frames eclipse-time as a protected ritual interval: one should follow Brahmin guidance and maintain prescribed observances rather than treating the period as ordinary time.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual, not architectural: Brahmins place a consecrated item/rite-marker upon the yajamāna’s head, and the yajamāna must sustain the observance throughout the eclipse-time (uparāga-velā).