Shloka 32

Matsya Purana — The Observance of Ananta-Tritiya

Devanagari script

मिथुनानि चतुर्विंशद् दश द्वो च समर्चयेत् अष्टौ षड्वाप्यथ पुनश् चानुमासं समर्चयेत् //

Transliteration

mithunāni caturviṃśad daśa dvo ca samarcayet aṣṭau ṣaḍvāpyatha punaś cānumāsaṃ samarcayet //

Translation

One should duly worship in paired sets—twenty-four, ten, and also two; likewise eight and six; and again one should perform the worship month by month.

Word by Word

• mithunāni: pairs/couples (paired sets)

• caturviṃśat: twenty-four

• daśa: ten

• dvo (dvau): two

• ca: and

• samarcayet: should worship properly/should honor with offerings

• aṣṭau: eight

• ṣaṭ: six

• api: also/likewise

• atha: then/thereafter

• punaḥ: again

• ca: and

• anumāsam: month after month/according to each month

• samarcayet: should worship

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, within a prescriptive ritual context)

Entities Mentioned

• Lord Matsya
• Vaivasvata Manu

Tags

• Puja
• Vrata
• Ritual-counts
• Monthly-worship
• Matsya-Purana-ritual

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it is a prescriptive rule for organizing worship by specific numerical groupings and repeating it on a monthly cycle.

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

It frames dharmic discipline as regular, structured worship: a householder (and by extension a king) should maintain consistent monthly observances and orderly ritual performance rather than sporadic devotion.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual: it specifies a counted sequence of worship in paired sets (mithuna) and emphasizes anumāsa—repeating the worship month-by-month—suggesting a calendrical puja schedule.