Shloka 6

Matsya Purana — Śarkarā-Saptamī Vrata: The Sugar Offering Rite to Savitṛ

Devanagari script

पञ्चगव्यं ततः पीत्वा स्वपेत्तत्पार्श्वतः क्षितौ सौरसूक्तं स्मरन्नास्ते पुराणश्रवणेन च //

Transliteration

pañcagavyaṃ tataḥ pītvā svapettatpārśvataḥ kṣitau saurasūktaṃ smarannāste purāṇaśravaṇena ca //

Translation

Then, having drunk the pañcagavya, one should sleep on the ground beside it, remaining mindful of the Saura hymn (Saura-sūkta) and also engaged in listening to Purāṇic recitation.

Word by Word

• पञ्चगव्यं (pañcagavyam): the fivefold cow-products (milk, curd, ghee, urine, dung) used for purification

• ततः (tataḥ): then/thereafter

• पीत्वा (pītvā): having drunk

• स्वपेत् (svapet): should sleep

• तत्पार्श्वतः (tat-pārśvataḥ): beside that/at its side

• क्षितौ (kṣitau): on the ground/on the earth

• सौरसूक्तं (saura-sūktam): the hymn to Sūrya (Sun)

• स्मरन् (smaran): remembering/keeping in mind

• आस्ते (āste): remains/sits/dwells (i.e., stays in that observance)

• पुराणश्रवणेन (purāṇa-śravaṇena): by listening to Purāṇas/Purāṇic discourse

• च (ca): and

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Surya (Sūrya)
• Pañcagavya
• Purāṇa

Tags

• Prāyaścitta
• Śuddhi
• Ritual purity
• Saura hymn
• Purāṇa-śravaṇa

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it prescribes a purification observance—drinking pañcagavya, sleeping on the ground, and maintaining devotional remembrance—indicating how dharma is restored through ritual discipline rather than describing cosmic dissolution.

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

It presents a practical śuddhi/prāyaścitta regimen suitable to householders (and by extension rulers responsible for public dharma): bodily purification (pañcagavya), humility/continence (sleeping on the ground), and moral-spiritual cultivation (remembering a solar hymn and hearing Purāṇas).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual rather than architectural: pañcagavya functions as a standard purificatory substance, while Saura-sūkta remembrance and Purāṇa-śravaṇa frame the act as both cleansing and devotional, aligning bodily practice with mantra and sacred narration.