Shloka 3

Matsya Purana — The Greatness of Mount Kārpāsa and the Rite of the ‘Kārpāsa-Śailendra’

Devanagari script

धान्यपर्वतवत्सर्वम् आसाद्य मुनिपुंगव प्रभातायां तु शर्वर्यां दद्यादिदमुदीरयेत् //

Transliteration

dhānyaparvatavatsarvam āsādya munipuṃgava prabhātāyāṃ tu śarvaryāṃ dadyādidamudīrayet //

Translation

O best of sages, having gathered everything so that it is heaped like a mountain of grain, one should make the gift at daybreak, at the end of the night, while reciting this prescribed formula.

Word by Word

• धान्य (dhānya): grain, cereals

• पर्वतवत् (parvata-vat): like a mountain, in a heap

• सर्वम् (sarvam): all (the items to be gifted)

• आसाद्य (āsādya): having obtained/assembled, having brought together

• मुनिपुंगव (munipuṅgava): O bull among sages, best of sages

• प्रभातायाम् (prabhātāyām): at dawn, at daybreak

• तु (tu): indeed, then

• शर्वर्याम् (śarvaryām): in the night

• (प्रभातायां तु शर्वर्यां): at the close of night, at dawn

• दद्यात् (dadyāt): one should give, should donate

• इदम् (idam): this

• उदीरयेत् (udīrayet): should utter/recite, should pronounce

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, addressing him as munipuṅgava in the didactic frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Muni (sage)
• Donor (dātṛ)
• Grain (dhānya)

Tags

• Dāna
• Ritual timing
• Householder duties
• Merit (puṇya)
• Matsya Purana charity rules

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it gives a practical dharma instruction on how and when to perform a grain-related gift (dāna), emphasizing proper preparation and dawn-time ritual propriety.

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

It frames dāna as a disciplined duty: the giver should first assemble the offering in full abundance and then donate at an auspicious time (dawn), aligning personal wealth and governance/household resources with dharmic redistribution.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is timing and mantra-recitation: the donation should be made at daybreak and accompanied by the proper utterance, indicating that dāna is treated as a formal rite, not merely a casual act.