Shloka 33

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

Devanagari script

एवं कुरुष्व कौन्तेय सर्वतीर्थाभिषेचनम् यावज्जीवकृतं पापं तत्क्षणादेव नश्यति //

Transliteration

evaṃ kuruṣva kaunteya sarvatīrthābhiṣecanam yāvajjīvakṛtaṃ pāpaṃ tatkṣaṇādeva naśyati //

Translation

Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform this ablution that bears the merit of bathing in all tīrthas; the sin accumulated over an entire lifetime is destroyed at that very instant.

Word by Word

• evaṁ: thus, in this manner

• kuruṣva: do (you), perform

• kaunteya: O son of Kuntī

• sarva-tīrtha: all sacred bathing-places/fords

• abhiṣecanam: ritual bathing, ablution

• yāvat-jīva-kṛtam: committed throughout (one’s) life

• pāpam: sin, demerit

• tat-kṣaṇāt eva: from that very moment, instantly

• naśyati: perishes, is destroyed

Speaker

• Suta Goswami (narrating Purana teaching on tirtha-ritual efficacy; addressed to a Bharata/Kaunteya interlocutor in the received phrasing)

Entities Mentioned

• Kaunteya
• Sarvatirtha (all sacred tirthas)

Tags

• Tirtha
• Snana
• Prayascitta
• Punya
• Dharma

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it teaches ritual purification—how a prescribed sacred ablution is said to destroy lifetime-accumulated sin immediately.

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

It frames a practical expiation (prāyaścitta) available to householders and rulers alike: performing sanctioned rites of sacred bathing to restore purity and uphold dharma after moral or ritual lapses.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual: “sarvatīrthābhiṣeka” is presented as a concentrated rite equated with bathing at all holy tirthas, emphasizing the purificatory power of correctly performed snāna/abhisheka.