Shloka 28

Matsya Purana — Saptamī Sacred Bath and the Mṛtavatsābhiṣeka Rite for Pacifying Misfortune an...

Devanagari script

मित्रः शनिर्वा हुतभुग् ये च बालग्रहाः क्वचित् पीडां कुर्वन्तु बालस्य मा मातुर्जनकस्य वै //

Transliteration

mitraḥ śanirvā hutabhug ye ca bālagrahāḥ kvacit pīḍāṃ kurvantu bālasya mā māturjanakasya vai //

Translation

May Mitra, or Śani, or Agni, and whatever child-seizing spirits (bālagrahas) there may be anywhere—let them cause affliction only to the child, and not to the mother or to the father.

Word by Word

• मित्रः (mitraḥ): Mitra (a Vedic deity associated with harmony and contracts)

• शनिः (śaniḥ): Śani/Saturn

• वा (vā): or

• हुतभुग् (hutabhug): Agni, the eater of oblations (fire)

• ये (ye): who/which

• च (ca): and

• बालग्रहाः (bālagrahāḥ): child-afflicting spirits/demons (grahas)

• क्वचित् (kvacit): anywhere/at any time

• पीडाम् (pīḍām): affliction, torment

• कुर्वन्तु (kurvantu): let them do/cause

• बालस्य (bālasya): of the child

• मा (mā): not

• मातुः (mātuḥ): of the mother

• जनकस्य (janakasya): of the father

• वै (vai): indeed/assuredly.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, within a protective-rite context)

Entities Mentioned

• Mitra
• Śani
• Agni (Hutabhuj)
• Bālagrahas

Tags

• Graha-Shanti
• Bala-Raksha
• Ritual
• Mantra-Prayoga
• Family-Welfare

FAQs

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

This verse is not about cosmic creation or pralaya; it belongs to a practical protective-rite setting, addressing planetary/deity and spirit-caused afflictions (graha/bālagraha) rather than cosmology.

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

It reflects the householder’s (and by extension a king’s) duty to safeguard dependents through prescribed śānti measures—seeking to contain harm and protect the wider family unit (mother and father) while addressing perceived afflictive forces.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual (graha-śānti/bāla-rakṣā): it invokes Mitra, Śani, Agni, and bālagrahas in a protective formulation aimed at preventing affliction from spreading to the parents.