Shloka 1

Matsya Purana — The Rite of Donating the Golden Mountain

Devanagari script

*ईश्वर उवाच अथ पापहरं वक्ष्ये सुवर्णाचलमुत्तमम् यस्य प्रदानाद्भवनं वैरिञ्चं याति मानवः //

Transliteration

*īśvara uvāca atha pāpaharaṃ vakṣye suvarṇācalamuttamam yasya pradānādbhavanaṃ vairiñcaṃ yāti mānavaḥ //

Translation

The Lord said: “Now I shall describe the supreme ‘Golden Mountain’, the remover of sin; by gifting (or offering) it, a human being attains the world of Brahmā (Vairiñca), the abode of the Creator.”

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: the Lord

• uvāca: said

• atha: now/then

• pāpaharam: sin-destroying, remover of demerit

• vakṣye: I shall explain/I will describe

• suvarṇācalam: the Golden Mountain (a meritorious sacred object/rite, lit. ‘gold-mountain’)

• uttamam: supreme, excellent

• yasya: of which/whose

• pradānāt: from giving, by donation/offer

• bhavanam: abode, dwelling, world

• vairiñcam: belonging to Viriñci (Brahmā), i.e., Brahmā’s realm

• yāti: goes, attains

• mānavaḥ: a human being.

Speaker

• Īśvara (the Lord; in Matsya Purana dialogue typically Lord Matsya/Vishnu addressing Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Īśvara
• Suvarṇācala
• Viriñci (Brahmā)
• Vairiñca-loka (Brahmā-world)
• Mānava (human recipient/performer)

Tags

• Dana
• Punya
• Tirtha-Mahatmya
• Sin-removal
• Brahmaloka

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya directly; it highlights karmic causality—through a prescribed sacred gift called “Suvarṇācala,” one is said to attain Vairiñca (Brahmā’s) abode, indicating a post-mortem cosmology rather than cosmic dissolution.

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

It frames dāna (charitable gifting/ritual donation) as a core householder duty with powerful spiritual fruit: giving the “Suvarṇācala” is presented as a sin-purifying act that elevates the donor to Brahmā’s realm.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The term “Suvarṇācala” implies a ritual construction or symbolic offering of a ‘golden mountain’ (often a crafted/ritually constituted object), emphasizing prescribed dāna-vidhi (rules of gifting) rather than temple architecture proper in this single verse.