Shloka 2
Matsya Purana — The Observance of Viśoka-Dvādaśī: A Lakṣmī–Viṣṇu Vow for Sorrow-Removal and P...
*मत्स्य उवाच परिपृष्टमिदं जगत्प्रियं ते विबुधानामपि दुर्लभं महत्त्वात् तव भक्तिमतस्तथापि वक्ष्ये व्रतमिन्द्रासुरमानवेषु गुह्यम् //
*matsya uvāca paripṛṣṭamidaṃ jagatpriyaṃ te vibudhānāmapi durlabhaṃ mahattvāt tava bhaktimatastathāpi vakṣye vratamindrāsuramānaveṣu guhyam //
Matsya said: “You have asked about this, O beloved of the worlds—something that, because of its greatness, is difficult to obtain even for the gods. Yet, since you are devoted, I shall explain that sacred vow (vrata), a secret even among Indra, the Asuras, and human beings.”
FAQs
This verse does not describe pralaya directly; it frames a forthcoming teaching as a rare, powerful secret, implying that certain dharmic observances are considered spiritually potent even beyond cosmological narratives.
It introduces a vrata as a high-value dharmic practice accessible through devotion; in the Matsya Purana’s ethical framework, such vows are key disciplines for householders and rulers to cultivate merit, self-restraint, and religious authority.
The significance is ritual rather than architectural: the verse signals an esoteric vrata (vow/observance) whose details are guarded even among gods, indicating a specialized ritual procedure to be taught next.