Shloka 25

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

Devanagari script

तत्र स्नात्वा च पीत्वा च यमुनायां युधिष्ठिर कीर्तनाल्लभते पुण्यं दृष्ट्वा भद्राणि पश्यति //

Transliteration

tatra snātvā ca pītvā ca yamunāyāṃ yudhiṣṭhira kīrtanāllabhate puṇyaṃ dṛṣṭvā bhadrāṇi paśyati //

Translation

O Yudhiṣṭhira, by bathing there and drinking the waters of the Yamunā, and by praising her, one gains religious merit; and having beheld her, one comes to see auspicious good fortune.

Word by Word

• tatra: there (at that sacred place)

• snātvā: having bathed

• ca: and

• pītvā: having drunk

• ca: and

• yamunāyām: in/at the Yamunā

• yudhiṣṭhira: O Yudhiṣṭhira

• kīrtanāt: from praising/recitation of her glory

• labhate: obtains

• puṇyam: merit, पुण्य

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen

• bhadrāṇi: auspicious things, blessings, welfare

• paśyati: sees/experiences

Speaker

• Narrator (Purana narrator addressing Yudhiṣṭhira during a tirtha-mahatmya discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• Yamunā
• Yudhiṣṭhira

Tags

• Tirtha
• Yamuna
• Snana
• Punya
• Stuti

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it belongs to a tirtha-mahātmya context and teaches how sacred rivers like the Yamunā confer merit through bathing, drinking, and praise.

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

It frames a practical dharmic duty: a householder or ruler may accrue punya through tīrtha-sevā—ritual bathing, respectful use of sacred water, and kīrtana (praise)—thereby promoting personal welfare and auspicious outcomes.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual rather than architectural: snāna (bathing), pāna (drinking sanctified water), and kīrtana/stuti (praise) are presented as core tīrtha practices that generate merit and auspiciousness.