Shloka 7

Matsya Purana — The Maheshvara Vow: Śiva-Caturdaśī Vrata

Devanagari script

चतुर्दश्यां निराहारः सम्यगभ्यर्च्य शंकरम् सुवर्णवृषभं दत्त्वा भोक्ष्यामि च परे ऽहनि //

Transliteration

caturdaśyāṃ nirāhāraḥ samyagabhyarcya śaṃkaram suvarṇavṛṣabhaṃ dattvā bhokṣyāmi ca pare 'hani //

Translation

On the fourteenth lunar day, fasting without food, having duly worshipped Śaṅkara (Śiva), I shall give a golden bull as a gift, and then I shall eat on the following day.

Word by Word

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth (tithi)

• निराहारः: without food, fasting

• सम्यक्: properly, duly

• अभ्यर्च्य: having worshipped

• शंकरम्: Śaṅkara (Lord Śiva)

• सुवर्णवृषभम्: a golden bull

• दत्त्वा: having given (as a gift)

• भोक्ष्यामि: I shall eat

• च: and

• परे अहनि: on the next day

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating the prescribed vrata-vidhi as taught in the Purāṇic discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• Shankara
• Shiva

Tags

• Vrata
• Fasting
• Shiva Worship
• Dana
• Golden Bull

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya; it prescribes a vrata discipline—fasting on Caturdaśī, worship of Śiva, and a specific gift (golden bull) followed by eating the next day.

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

It reflects the gṛhastha/royal duty of sustaining dharma through regulated fasting (upavāsa), proper deity-worship, and dāna; the sequence (fast → worship → gift → break-fast next day) models self-restraint and generosity.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual rather than architectural: Caturdaśī observance, Śiva-abhyarcana (formal worship), and the prescribed dāna of a suvarṇa-vṛṣabha (golden bull), with parāṇā (breaking the fast) on the following day.