Shloka 9

Matsya Purana — Ravi-Saṅkrānti Vow: Udyāpana

Devanagari script

अनेन विधिना सर्वं मासि मासि समाचरेत् वत्सरान्ते ऽथवा कुर्यात् सर्वं द्वादशधा नरः //

Transliteration

anena vidhinā sarvaṃ māsi māsi samācaret vatsarānte 'thavā kuryāt sarvaṃ dvādaśadhā naraḥ //

Translation

By this prescribed method, one should perform the entire observance month after month; or else, at the end of the year, a man may complete it all in a twelvefold manner.

Word by Word

• anena: by this

• vidhinā: by the rule/prescribed procedure

• sarvam: the whole (rite/observance)

• māsi māsi: in each month, month after month

• samācaret: should duly practice/perform

• vatsara-ante: at the end of the year

• athavā: or else

• kuryāt: may do/should perform

• sarvam: all of it

• dvādaśadhā: in twelve parts/with twelvefold repetition

• naraḥ: a man (practitioner/householder).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, within the didactic narrative frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Nara (the practitioner/householder)

Tags

• Vrata
• Monthly rites
• Annual completion
• Dharma
• Ritual procedure

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it gives a practical rule for how a religious observance should be scheduled—either monthly throughout the year or consolidated at year’s end.

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

It frames dharma as disciplined regular practice: a householder (and by extension a ruler setting public norms) should observe rites consistently each month, or legitimately complete the equivalent merit through a structured twelvefold performance at the year’s end.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual-procedural: it authorizes two valid formats for the same observance—monthly repetition or an annual twelvefold completion—useful for planning calendars of worship and vow-performance.