Shloka 81

Matsya Purana — Soma

Devanagari script

इत्येष विषयः प्रोक्तः पितॄणां सोमपायिनाम् एतत्पितृमहत्त्वं हि पुराणे निश्चयं गतम् //

Transliteration

ityeṣa viṣayaḥ proktaḥ pitṝṇāṃ somapāyinām etatpitṛmahattvaṃ hi purāṇe niścayaṃ gatam //

Translation

Thus has this subject been explained—concerning the Soma-drinking Pitṛs. Indeed, this greatness of the ancestors stands firmly established in the Purāṇa as a settled conclusion.

Word by Word

• iti: thus

• eṣaḥ: this

• viṣayaḥ: topic/subject matter

• proktaḥ: has been declared/explained

• pitṝṇām: of the Pitṛs (ancestral beings)

• somapāyinām: of those who drink Soma (Soma-partakers)

• etat: this

• pitṛ-mahattvam: the greatness/supreme importance of the ancestors

• hi: indeed

• purāṇe: in the Purāṇa

• niścayam: certainty/definite conclusion

• gatam: has gone to/has been reached (i.e., is established).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu (context: Śrāddha and Pitṛ-doctrine section)

Entities Mentioned

• Pitṛs
• Soma

Tags

• Śrāddha
• Pitṛs
• Ritual Dharma
• Ancestral rites
• Matsya Purana teachings

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it concludes a doctrinal explanation about the Pitṛs, affirming that their greatness is definitively established in the Purāṇic teaching.

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

By affirming “pitṛ-mahattva,” it supports the householder’s (and king’s) duty to uphold Śrāddha and ancestral offerings as a settled pillar of dharma, ensuring continuity of lineage obligations and social-religious order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual rather than architectural: it serves as a closing certification that the rules and status of Soma-associated Pitṛs—and by implication the authority of Śrāddha rites—are conclusively taught in the Matsya Purāṇa.