Shloka 4

Matsya Purana — The Observance of Viśoka-Dvādaśī: A Lakṣmī–Viṣṇu Vow for Sorrow-Removal and P...

Devanagari script

उदङ्मुखः प्राङ्मुखो वा दन्तधावनपूर्वकम् एकादश्यां निराहारः समभ्यर्च्य तु केशवम् श्रियं वाभ्यर्च्य विधिवद् भोक्ष्यामि त्वपरे ऽहनि //

Transliteration

udaṅmukhaḥ prāṅmukho vā dantadhāvanapūrvakam ekādaśyāṃ nirāhāraḥ samabhyarcya tu keśavam śriyaṃ vābhyarcya vidhivad bhokṣyāmi tvapare 'hani //

Translation

Facing north or east, and having first cleansed the teeth, on Ekādaśī one should remain without food; then, duly worshiping Keśava—and also worshiping Śrī (Lakṣmī) according to rule—one should vow, “I shall eat on the following day.”

Word by Word

• udaṅ-mukhaḥ: facing north

• prāṅ-mukhaḥ: facing east

• vā: or

• danta-dhāvana-pūrvakam: preceded by tooth-cleansing

• ekādaśyām: on Ekādaśī (the eleventh lunar day)

• nirāhāraḥ: without food/fasting

• samabhyarcya: having worshiped reverently

• tu: then/indeed

• keśavam: Keśava (Viṣṇu)

• śriyam: Śrī (Lakṣmī, prosperity)

• vā: also/or

• abhyarcya: having worshiped

• vidhivat: according to prescribed rite

• bhokṣyāmi: I shall eat

• tu: indeed

• apare 'hani: on the next day (Dvādaśī)

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) conveying the vrata-instructions within the Matsya Purāṇa’s discourse

Entities Mentioned

• Keśava (Vishnu)
• Śrī (Lakṣmī)

Tags

• Ekadashi
• Vrata
• Vaishnava Dharma
• Ritual Procedure
• Fasting

FAQs

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

This verse does not address Pralaya; it focuses on vrata-dharma—how to observe Ekādaśī with ritual purity, worship, and fasting.

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

It teaches a householder-style discipline: begin with bodily purification, fast on Ekādaśī, worship Viṣṇu (Keśava) and Lakṣmī, and perform the proper next-day meal (parāṇa) on Dvādaśī—an ethic of restraint and devotion applicable to rulers and householders alike.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual (not architectural): prescribed orientation (north/east), preliminary purification (tooth cleansing), fasting (nirāhāra), and formal worship (vidhivat arcana) culminating in the vow to eat on the following day.