Shloka 63

Matsya Purana — Soma

Devanagari script

कर्मस्वेतेषु ये सक्ता वर्तन्त्य् आ देहपातनात् देवैस्ते पितृभिः सार्धम् ऊष्मपैः सोमपैस्तथा स्वर्गता दिवि मोदन्ते पितृमन्त उपासते //

Transliteration

karmasveteṣu ye saktā vartanty ā dehapātanāt devaiste pitṛbhiḥ sārdham ūṣmapaiḥ somapaistathā svargatā divi modante pitṛmanta upāsate //

Translation

Those who remain devoted to these prescribed rites and duties, continuing in them until the falling of the body (death), go to heaven; there, together with the gods and the Pitṛs—and with the classes known as the Ūṣmapas and the Somapas—they rejoice in the celestial realm and worship the Pitṛs endowed with power.

Word by Word

• karmasu: in (ritual) actions/duties

• eteṣu: in these (rites previously described)

• ye: those who

• saktāḥ: attached/devoted

• vartanti: continue/live engaged

• ā: until

• deha-pātanāt: the falling of the body, i.e., death

• devaiḥ: with the gods

• te: they

• pitṛbhiḥ: with the ancestors (Pitṛs)

• sārdham: together

• ūṣmapaiḥ: with the Ūṣmapas (a class of Pitṛs/ancestral beings)

• somapaiḥ: with the Somapas (a class of Pitṛs who partake of Soma)

• tathā: and also

• svargatāḥ: having gone to heaven

• divi: in heaven/in the sky

• modante: rejoice/delight

• pitṛ-mantaḥ: the Pitṛs possessing potency/authority (mant = endowed with power)

• upāsate: they worship/revere.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu (contextual attribution within Matsya Purana’s dialogue frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Pitṛs
• Devas
• Ūṣmapas
• Somapas
• Svarga

Tags

• Dharma
• Karma-phala
• Svarga
• Pitṛs
• Śrāddha

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it focuses on karma-phala—how steadfast performance of prescribed duties up to death leads to Svarga in the company of Devas and Pitṛs.

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

It affirms the Matsya Purana’s ethic that sustained commitment to one’s ordained rites (nitya/naimittika karma, including ancestor rites) until life’s end yields auspicious posthumous destiny—an ideal especially relevant to householders and rulers who uphold dharma through ritual and social order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual emphasis is on continued performance of prescribed karmas and Pitṛ-upāsanā (ancestor veneration, commonly expressed through Śrāddha offerings); no Vāstu or temple-construction rule is stated in this specific verse.