Shloka 21

Matsya Purana — Eclipse-Time Planetary Bath

Devanagari script

प्राङ्मुखः पूजयित्वा तु नमस्यन्निष्टदेवताम् चन्द्रग्रहे विनिर्वृत्ते कृतगोदानमङ्गलः कृतस्नानाय तं पट्टं ब्राह्मणाय निवेदयेत् //

Transliteration

prāṅmukhaḥ pūjayitvā tu namasyanniṣṭadevatām candragrahe vinirvṛtte kṛtagodānamaṅgalaḥ kṛtasnānāya taṃ paṭṭaṃ brāhmaṇāya nivedayet //

Translation

Facing east, one should worship and bow to one’s chosen deity. When the lunar eclipse has ended, having duly performed the auspicious rite of gifting a cow, and having bathed, one should present that cloth (paṭṭa) to a brāhmaṇa.

Word by Word

• प्राङ्मुखः: facing east

• पूजयित्वा: having worshipped

• तु: indeed/then

• नमस्यन्: bowing/saluting

• इष्टदेवताम्: the chosen/personal deity

• चन्द्रग्रहे: in (the time of) lunar eclipse

• विनिर्वृत्ते: when it has ceased/ended

• कृत-गोदान-मङ्गलः: having performed the auspicious act/rite of cow-donation

• कृत-स्नानः: having bathed

• तम्: that

• पट्टम्: cloth/garment (fine cloth)

• ब्राह्मणाय: to a brāhmaṇa

• निवेदयेत्: should offer/present.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, ritual-dharma discourse context)

Entities Mentioned

• Iṣṭa-devatā
• Candra (Moon)
• Brāhmaṇa
• Go-dāna (cow donation)

Tags

• Dharma
• Grahaṇa
• Go-dāna
• Snāna
• Ritual Procedure

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya; it focuses on post-eclipse (grahaṇa) ritual purification, worship, and meritorious donation as part of dharma.

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

It frames a householder’s (and by extension a king’s) duty to observe purity and charity: worship facing east, bathe after the eclipse, and complete prescribed gifts—especially go-dāna and gifting cloth to a brāhmaṇa—reflecting social-religious responsibility and merit-making.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual (not architectural): correct orientation (facing east), eclipse-closure timing, bathing (snāna) for purification, and the prescribed donations (cow and cloth) culminating in a brāhmaṇa offering.