Shloka 1

Matsya Purana — Rite and Merits of the Sesame-Mountain

Devanagari script

*ईश्वर उवाच अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि तिलशैलं विधानतः यत्प्रदानान्नरो याति विष्णुलोकं सनातनम् //

Transliteration

*īśvara uvāca ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣyāmi tilaśailaṃ vidhānataḥ yatpradānānnaro yāti viṣṇulokaṃ sanātanam //

Translation

The Lord said: “Now I shall explain, in due procedure, the rite of the ‘sesame-mountain’ (tilaśaila). By making this offering, a man attains the eternal world of Viṣṇu.”

Word by Word

• ईश्वर (īśvara): the Lord

• उवाच (uvāca): said

• अतः परम् (ataḥ param): hereafter/now then

• प्रवक्ष्यामि (pravakṣyāmi): I shall expound

• तिलशैलम् (tilaśailam): a ‘mountain’ (heap) of sesame (tilā)

• विधानतः (vidhānataḥ): according to the prescribed rule/ritual procedure

• यत्-प्रदानात् (yat-pradānāt): by the giving of which/by that donation

• नरः (naraḥ): a man/person

• याति (yāti): goes/attains

• विष्णुलोकम् (viṣṇulokam): the realm of Viṣṇu

• सनातनम् (sanātanam): eternal/perpetual.

Speaker

• Īśvara (the Lord, i.e., Lord Viṣṇu speaking as the divine teacher in the Matsya Purana dialogue)

Entities Mentioned

• Īśvara
• Viṣṇu
• Viṣṇuloka
• Tilaśaila (sesame-mountain donation)

Tags

• Dāna
• Dāna-Dharma
• Ritual Procedure
• Vaishnava Merit
• Tiladāna

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya directly; it highlights a dharmic means (dāna/ritual charity) by which one gains a transcendent post-mortem destination—Viṣṇu’s eternal realm—implying preservation and spiritual continuity rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

It frames charitable giving as a primary duty of householders (and kings as exemplary householders/rulers): performing donations according to vidhāna (proper procedure) is presented as a direct cause of religious merit and an elevated destiny (Viṣṇuloka).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is explicit: the Lord introduces the formal procedure (vidhāna) for the tilaśaila—constructing/arranging a ‘mountain-like’ heap of sesame for donation—indicating that correct method, not only intention, is central to Matsya Purana’s dāna-vidhi sections.