Shloka 22

Matsya Purana — Glory of Prayaga: The Fruit of the Anashaka Fast and the Merit of the Yamuna

Devanagari script

*युधिष्ठिर उवाच यमुनायां तु किं पुण्यं किं फलं तु महामुने एतन्मे सर्वमाख्याहि यथादृष्टं यथाश्रुतम् //

Transliteration

*yudhiṣṭhira uvāca yamunāyāṃ tu kiṃ puṇyaṃ kiṃ phalaṃ tu mahāmune etanme sarvamākhyāhi yathādṛṣṭaṃ yathāśrutam //

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O great sage, what is the sacred merit in the Yamunā, and what phala (spiritual result) does it grant? Tell me all of this fully—just as you have seen it and as you have heard it in tradition.”

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira

• उवाच: said

• यमुनायाम्: in/at the Yamunā (river)

• तु: indeed

• किम्: what

• पुण्यम्: merit, sacred virtue

• किम्: what

• फलम्: fruit, result, reward

• तु: and indeed

• महामुने: O great sage

• एतत्: this

• मे: to me

• सर्वम्: all

• आख्याहि: narrate, explain

• यथा-दृष्टम्: as (it has been) seen

• यथा-श्रुतम्: as (it has been) heard (from authoritative tradition).

Speaker

• Yudhiṣṭhira

Entities Mentioned

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Yamunā

Tags

• Tirtha
• Yamunā
• Punya-Phala
• Pilgrimage
• Mahatmya

FAQs

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

This verse does not address Pralaya; it opens a tīrtha-māhātmya inquiry, focusing on the Yamunā’s puṇya (merit) and phala (spiritual results) rather than cosmology.

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

It models dharmic conduct through respectful inquiry: a king seeks authoritative guidance from a sage about righteous practices (tīrtha merit and its results), aligning governance and personal life with śāstric tradition.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Architectural rules are not mentioned; the ritual significance is the framing of Yamunā-related observances (such as bathing, worship, or pilgrimage) whose merits and results the sage is requested to explain.