Shloka 37
Matsya Purana — Navagraha Sacrifice for Planetary Pacification and Prosperity
कया नश्चित्र आभुवद् इति राहोरुदाहृतः केतुं कृण्वन्न् अपि ब्रूयात् केतूनामपि शान्तये //
kayā naścitra ābhuvad iti rāhorudāhṛtaḥ ketuṃ kṛṇvann api brūyāt ketūnāmapi śāntaye //
Reciting the formula “Kayā naś citra ābhuvat,” which is proclaimed as Rahu’s appeasement chant, one should also utter it while performing the rite for Ketu, for the pacification of the ketus—comets and other celestial portents.
FAQs
This verse is not about pralaya; it focuses on ritual pacification (śānti) for astral forces—specifically Rahu and Ketu—indicating how cosmic disturbances are ritually harmonized rather than describing creation or dissolution.
It frames a practical dharma-duty: kings and householders are expected to mitigate inauspicious celestial indications (eclipses, ominous ‘ketu’ portents) through prescribed mantras and śānti rites to protect social order, health, and prosperity.
The significance is ritual, not architectural: the verse prescribes using the Rahu-associated mantra (“Kayā naś citra ābhuvat”) even during Ketu rites, implying shared liturgical usage for pacifying both Ketu as a graha and ‘ketus’ as ominous celestial phenomena.