Shloka 2
Matsya Purana — The Rite of Donating the Golden Mountain
उत्तमः पलसाहस्रो मध्यमः पञ्चभिः शतैः तदर्धेनाधमस्तद्वद् अल्पवित्तो ऽपि शक्तितः दद्यादेकपलादूर्ध्वं यथाशक्त्या विमत्सरः //
uttamaḥ palasāhasro madhyamaḥ pañcabhiḥ śataiḥ tadardhenādhamastadvad alpavitto 'pi śaktitaḥ dadyādekapalādūrdhvaṃ yathāśaktyā vimatsaraḥ //
The best standard of donation is a thousand palas; the middling is five hundred; the lowest is half of that. Even one of little wealth should, according to his ability and without envy, give—beginning from at least one pala and upwards.
FAQs
This verse does not discuss pralaya; it focuses on dāna-dharma—how charity is graded by quantity and should be performed according to one’s capacity.
It sets a practical ethic for both rulers and householders: donations have graded standards, but the core duty is to give within one’s means, starting from a minimum, and to do so without jealousy or resentment.
No Vāstu or temple-building rule is stated here; the ritual significance is the calibration of dāna (gift) by traditional measures (pala) and the emphasis on the donor’s intention (vimatsara).