Shloka 41

Matsya Purana — Procedure for Going to Prayaga and the Greatness of the Ganga

Devanagari script

सुवर्णालंकृतानां तु नारीणां लभते शतम् पृथिव्याम् आसमुद्रायां महाभूमिपतिर्भवेत् //

Transliteration

suvarṇālaṃkṛtānāṃ tu nārīṇāṃ labhate śatam pṛthivyām āsamudrāyāṃ mahābhūmipatirbhavet //

Translation

But he who obtains (or bestows) a hundred women adorned with gold becomes a great sovereign lord of the earth, his dominion extending up to the encircling seas.

Word by Word

• suvarṇa-ālaṃkṛtānām: of those adorned with gold

• tu: indeed/but

• nārīṇām: of women

• labhate: obtains/attains

• śatam: a hundred

• pṛthivyām: on the earth

• ā-samudrāyām: up to the seas/sea-bounded

• mahā-bhūmi-patiḥ: great lord of the land/sovereign

• bhavet: becomes

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu on dāna and its fruits)

Entities Mentioned

• Matsya
• Manu

Tags

• Dana
• Punya
• Rajadharma
• Phalashruti
• Sovereignty

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya; it is a dāna-phala statement describing worldly reward (sea-bounded sovereignty) arising from a specified act of gifting/obtaining.

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

It frames charity in royal/householder ethics: generous giving (dāna) is presented as a dharmic cause that yields political stability and kingship—teaching that prosperity and rule should be grounded in merit rather than mere force.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple-architecture rule is stated here; the ritual significance is the phalaśruti-style linkage between a prescribed dāna (gold-adorned gifts) and the attainment of vast earthly dominion.