Shloka 1

Matsya Purana — The Procedure and Merit of the Śubha-Saptamī Vrata

Devanagari script

*श्रीभगवानुवाच अथान्यामपि वक्ष्यामि शोभनां शुभसप्तमीम् यामुपोष्य नरो रोगशोकदुःखैः प्रमुच्यते //

Transliteration

*śrībhagavānuvāca athānyāmapi vakṣyāmi śobhanāṃ śubhasaptamīm yāmupoṣya naro rogaśokaduḥkhaiḥ pramucyate //

Translation

The Blessed Lord said: “Now I shall also describe another observance—the splendid, auspicious Śubha-Saptamī. By fasting on it (upavāsa), a person is released from disease, grief, and suffering.”

Word by Word

• śrī-bhagavān uvāca: the Blessed Lord said

• atha: now/then

• anyām api: another also

• vakṣyāmi: I shall explain

• śobhanām: splendid/beautiful

• śubha-saptamīm: the auspicious ‘seventh (tithi)/Saptamī’ observance

• yām: which

• upoṣya: having fasted/after observing a fast

• naraḥ: a man/person

• roga: disease

• śoka: grief/sorrow

• duḥkhaiḥ: by/ from sufferings

• pramucyate: is freed/released

Speaker

• Śrī Bhagavān (Lord Matsya/Vishnu in discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• Śrī Bhagavān
• Śubha-Saptamī
• Upavāsa (fasting)

Tags

• Vrata
• Upavasa
• Dharma
• Ritual
• Health-and-merit

FAQs

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

This verse does not address Pralaya; it introduces a vrata (Śubha-Saptamī) and states its fruit—release from disease, grief, and suffering.

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

It frames fasting (upavāsa) as a dharmic observance accessible to householders (and rulers alike), emphasizing self-discipline and religious practice as means to reduce affliction and cultivate well-being.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual rather than architectural: the verse signals a prescribed fasting observance tied to the Saptamī tithi, highlighting vrata-procedure literature within the Matsya Purana.