Shloka 73

Matsya Purana — Navagraha Sacrifice for Planetary Pacification and Prosperity

Devanagari script

गवामङ्गेषु तिष्ठन्ति भुवनानि चतुर्दश यस्मात्तस्माच्छ्रिये मे स्याद् इह लोके परत्र च //

Transliteration

gavāmaṅgeṣu tiṣṭhanti bhuvanāni caturdaśa yasmāttasmācchriye me syād iha loke paratra ca //

Translation

Because the fourteen worlds are said to abide within the limbs of the cow, therefore may prosperity and auspicious fortune be mine—both in this world and in the world hereafter.

Word by Word

• gavām: of cows

• aṅgeṣu: in the limbs/body-parts

• tiṣṭhanti: abide/stand

• bhuvanāni: worlds/realms

• caturdaśa: fourteen

• yasmāt: because/since

• tasmāt: therefore

• śriye: for prosperity/fortune (śrī)

• me: for me/mine

• syāt: may it be

• iha: here (in this world)

• loke: in the world

• paratra: hereafter/in the next world

• ca: and

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, within a dharma/merit discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• Gau (Sacred Cow)
• Chaturdaśa-bhuvana (Fourteen Worlds)
• Śrī (Prosperity/Fortune)

Tags

• Dharma
• Gau-mahātmyam
• Merit
• Prosperity
• Ritual Praise

FAQs

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

It does not describe pralaya directly; it presents a cosmological symbolism—linking the entire fourteen-world system to the cow’s body—to ground dharmic reverence and the accrual of merit.

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

It supports the ethic of gau-rakṣā (protection of cows), charity, and reverent conduct: honoring the cow is framed as honoring the cosmos itself, yielding śrī (prosperity) and welfare in both present and future states.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it functions as a prosperity-prayer (śrī-kāma) grounded in gau-mahātmyam; it implies that worship, gifting, or circumambulation connected with cows is spiritually weighty, though it gives no direct Vastu/temple-rule detail.