Shloka 23

Matsya Purana — Prayaga Mahatmya Begins: Yudhishthira’s Remorse

Devanagari script

ततो युधिष्ठिरो राजा प्रणम्य शिरसा मुनिम् पप्रच्छ विनयोपेतः सर्वपातकनाशनम् //

Transliteration

tato yudhiṣṭhiro rājā praṇamya śirasā munim papraccha vinayopetaḥ sarvapātakanāśanam //

Translation

Then King Yudhiṣṭhira, bowing his head to the sage, respectfully asked about that which destroys all sins.

Word by Word

• ततः: then

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira

• राजा: king

• प्रणम्य: having bowed

• शिरसा: with (his) head

• मुनिम्: to the sage

• पप्रच्छ: asked/inquired

• विनयोपेतः: endowed with humility/courtesy

• सर्व-पातक-नाशनम्: the destruction/removal of all sins (i.e., the means that eradicate all grave faults).

Speaker

• Narrator (introducing Yudhiṣṭhira’s question to a sage)

Entities Mentioned

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Muni (the sage)

Tags

• Dharma
• Prāyaścitta
• Kingship
• Ethics
• Sin-removal

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it frames a dharma-oriented inquiry—Yudhiṣṭhira seeks teachings that eradicate sin, indicating a moral-ritual focus rather than cosmology.

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

It models ideal royal conduct: a king approaches learned sages with humility and asks for guidance on righteous living and expiation—implying that governance and personal conduct must be grounded in dharma and self-purification.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple-architecture rule is stated here; the ritual implication is prāyaścitta—seeking prescribed means (vows, rites, gifts, austerities) understood as “sin-destroying” within Purāṇic dharma frameworks.