Shloka 7
Matsya Purana — The Greatness of Prayaga and the Supremacy of Cow-Donation
ततः स्वर्गात्परिभ्रष्टः क्षीणकर्मा दिवश्च्युतः हिरण्यरत्नसम्पूर्णे समृद्धे जायते कुले तदेव स्मरते तीर्थं स्मरणात्तत्र गच्छति //
tataḥ svargātparibhraṣṭaḥ kṣīṇakarmā divaścyutaḥ hiraṇyaratnasampūrṇe samṛddhe jāyate kule tadeva smarate tīrthaṃ smaraṇāttatra gacchati //
Thereafter, when he falls from heaven—his merit exhausted, cast down from the celestial world—he is born in a prosperous family filled with gold and jewels. Yet he remembers that very sacred ford (tīrtha), and by the power of remembrance he goes to that holy place.
FAQs
This verse does not discuss pralaya; it teaches karmic return: after enjoying heaven until merit is exhausted, one falls and is reborn, yet can be drawn back to a tīrtha through sacred remembrance.
It supports dharmic living and tīrtha-oriented piety: even household prosperity (gold and jewels) is framed as a karmic result, and the ideal person uses memory and intention to reconnect with sacred practice rather than remain absorbed only in wealth.
No Vāstu or temple-building rule is stated; the ritual takeaway is the potency of tīrtha-smaraṇa—remembering a holy place is presented as a spiritually effective act that impels one toward pilgrimage and merit.