Shloka 17

Matsya Purana — The Greatness of Prayaga: Manasa Tirtha

Devanagari script

यः स्वदेहं तु कर्तित्वा शकुनिभ्यः प्रयच्छति विहगैरुपभुक्तस्य शृणु तस्यापि यत्फलम् //

Transliteration

yaḥ svadehaṃ tu kartitvā śakunibhyaḥ prayacchati vihagairupabhuktasya śṛṇu tasyāpi yatphalam //

Translation

He who, offering up his own body, gives it to the birds—hear also what fruit accrues to one whose body is consumed by winged creatures.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: whoever

• sva-deham: one’s own body

• tu: indeed

• kartitvā: having cut up / having made into portions (i.e., prepared as an offering)

• śakunibhyaḥ: to birds

• prayacchati: gives, offers

• vihagaiḥ: by birds

• upabhuktasya: of one who is eaten/consumed

• śṛṇu: hear

• tasya api: of that person too / even of him

• yat-phalam: what result, what merit-fruit

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu on dāna and its fruits

Entities Mentioned

• Matsya
• Vaivasvata Manu
• Vihaga (birds)
• Śakuni (birds)

Tags

• Dana
• Dharma
• Afterlife
• Merit
• Compassion

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it belongs to a dāna–dharma context, describing the merit-fruit connected with extraordinary self-offering and what happens when the body is consumed by birds.

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

It frames dharma in terms of compassion and renunciation: even the extreme act of offering one’s body is treated as a meritorious gift, reinforcing the Purana’s broader teaching that charity and self-sacrifice produce spiritual fruit for rulers and householders alike.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu or temple-architecture rule is stated here; the significance is ritual-ethical—categorizing an extreme form of dāna (self-offering) and introducing its promised phala (result).