Shloka 31

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

Devanagari script

श्रद्दधानपरो भूत्वा कुरु तीर्थाभिषेचनम् अन्ये च बहवस्तीर्थाः सर्वपापहराः स्मृताः तेषु स्नात्वा दिवं यान्ति ये मृतास्ते ऽपुनर्भवाः //

Transliteration

śraddadhānaparo bhūtvā kuru tīrthābhiṣecanam anye ca bahavastīrthāḥ sarvapāpaharāḥ smṛtāḥ teṣu snātvā divaṃ yānti ye mṛtāste 'punarbhavāḥ //

Translation

Be devoted and full of faith, and perform the consecratory bathing at a tīrtha. Many other tīrthas too are remembered as destroyers of all sins. Those who bathe in them and then die go to heaven; they do not return again to rebirth.

Word by Word

• śraddadhāna-paraḥ: intent on faith

• bhūtvā: having become

• kuru: perform

• tīrtha-abhiṣecanam: tīrtha-bathing/ritual ablution at a sacred place

• anye: other

• ca: and

• bahavaḥ: many

• tīrthāḥ: sacred fords/pilgrimage waters

• sarva-pāpa-harāḥ: removers of all sins

• smṛtāḥ: remembered/declared (in tradition)

• teṣu: in those (tīrthas)

• snātvā: having bathed

• divam: to heaven

• yānti: go

• ye: those who

• mṛtāḥ: dead (having died)

• te: they

• apunar-bhavāḥ: not subject to rebirth again

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, within the Matsya Purana’s dialogic frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Tirtha
• Diva (Svarga)

Tags

• Tirtha
• Snana
• Punya
• Papahara
• Moksha

FAQs

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

It does not discuss Pralaya directly; it teaches soteriology through tīrtha-bathing—sin-removal and the post-death ascent to heaven, framed as freedom from return (apunarbhava).

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

It prescribes a practical dharmic act—faithful tīrtha-abhiṣeka/snana—as a meritorious observance for householders and rulers alike, emphasizing śraddhā (faith) and purification through sanctioned pilgrimage rites.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is tīrthābhiṣecana (consecratory bathing/ablution at a sacred site), highlighting Matsya Purana’s broader emphasis on correct sacred rites rather than temple architecture in this specific verse.