Shloka 18

Matsya Purana — The Glory of Prayaga: Pilgrimage

Devanagari script

ततो गत्वा प्रयागं तु सर्वदेवाभिरक्षितम् ब्रह्मचारी वसेन्मासं पितॄन्देवांश्च तर्पयेत् ईप्सितांल्लभते कामान् यत्र यत्राभिजायते //

Transliteration

tato gatvā prayāgaṃ tu sarvadevābhirakṣitam brahmacārī vasenmāsaṃ pitṝndevāṃśca tarpayet īpsitāṃllabhate kāmān yatra yatrābhijāyate //

Translation

Then, having gone to Prayāga—protected by all the gods—one should live there for a month as a brahmacārin (celibate student) and offer tarpana, libations of water, to the ancestors and the gods. Wherever such a person is reborn, he attains the desired enjoyments and fulfillments.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereafter

• gatvā: having gone

• prayāgam: to Prayāga (the sacred confluence)

• tu: indeed

• sarva-devābhi-rakṣitam: protected/guarded by all the gods

• brahmacārī: one observing brahmacarya (celibate religious discipline)

• vaset: should dwell

• māsam: for a month

• pitṝn: the ancestors (pitṛs)

• devān ca: and the gods

• tarpayet: should satisfy/propitiate (by water offerings)

• īpsitān: desired

• labhate: attains/obtains

• kāmān: wishes, enjoyments, sought-after goals

• yatra yatra: wherever

• abhijāyate: is born again/is reborn.

Speaker

• Suta (Purana narrator) conveying the Matsya Purana’s tirtha-mahatmya instruction (dialogue context traditionally within Matsya Purana’s teaching stream to Manu).

Entities Mentioned

• Prayaga
• Devas (all gods)
• Pitrs (ancestors)
• Brahmacarin (celibate observer)

Tags

• Tirtha
• Prayaga
• Brahmacarya
• Tarpana
• Punya (merit)

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya; it focuses on tirtha-mahātmya—how disciplined residence at Prayāga and offerings to devas and pitṛs generate merit that bears fruit across rebirths.

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

It frames a dharmic practice accessible to householders and rulers alike: undertaking a regulated vow (brahmacarya for a fixed period) and performing deva–pitṛ tarpana, reinforcing social-religious duties of honoring gods and ancestors.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual rather than architectural: residing at Prayāga under brahmacarya and performing tarpana (water-libations) to pitṛs and devas is presented as a high-merit observance tied to the sanctity of the confluence.