Shloka 16

Matsya Purana — Marks of Karma-yoga and the Five Great Daily Sacrifices

Devanagari script

पञ्च सूना गृहस्थस्य तेन स्वर्गं न गच्छति तत्पापनाशनायामी पञ्च यज्ञाः प्रकीर्तिताः //

Transliteration

pañca sūnā gṛhasthasya tena svargaṃ na gacchati tatpāpanāśanāyāmī pañca yajñāḥ prakīrtitāḥ //

Translation

For the householder there are five “slaughter-houses,” sources of unavoidable harm; because of them he does not attain heaven. Therefore, to destroy that sin, the five sacrifices (yajñas) have been proclaimed.

Word by Word

• pañca: five

• sūnāḥ: slaughter-houses, sources of killing/violence (unavoidable harms in household life)

• gṛhasthasya: of the householder

• tena: by that/thereby

• svargam: heaven

• na gacchati: does not go/attain

• tat-pāpa-nāśanāya: for the destruction of that sin

• pañca yajñāḥ: the five sacrifices (pañca-mahāyajña)

• prakīrtitāḥ: are declared/proclaimed

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Matsya
• Gṛhastha
• Pañca-mahāyajña

Tags

• Dharma
• Householder Duties
• Pañca-mahāyajña
• Ritual
• Ethics

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it addresses everyday dharma, explaining that household life involves unavoidable harm and therefore requires daily purificatory sacrifices.

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

It directly defines gṛhastha-dharma: a householder incurs inevitable demerit through daily activities, and the Matsya Purana prescribes the pañca-mahāyajñas as a corrective discipline to maintain purity and merit.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual: it introduces the pañca-mahāyajñas as expiation for the ‘five sūnāḥ’—a foundational principle behind daily offerings, hospitality, and maintenance of sacred order in household ritual life.