Shloka 1

Matsya Purana — The Rite of Gifting the ‘Silver Mountain’

Devanagari script

*ईश्वर उवाच अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि रौप्याचलमनुत्तमम् यत्प्रदानान्नरो याति सोमलोकमनुत्तमम् //

Transliteration

*īśvara uvāca ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣyāmi raupyācalamanuttamam yatpradānānnaro yāti somalokamanuttamam //

Translation

The Lord said: “Now I shall explain the unsurpassed Raupyācala (the ‘silver mountain’ offering); by making that gift, a man attains the unsurpassed world of Soma (the Moon).”

Word by Word

• ईश्वर (īśvara): the Lord

• उवाच (uvāca): said

• अतः परम् (ataḥ param): hereafter/next

• प्रवक्ष्यामि (pravakṣyāmi): I shall expound

• रौप्याचलम् (raupyācalam): ‘silver mountain’ (a meritorious gift/ritual object)

• अनुत्तमम् (anuttamam): unsurpassed, excellent

• यत्-प्रदानात् (yat-pradānāt): by the giving of which

• नरः (naraḥ): a man

• याति (yāti): goes/attains

• सोमलोकम् (somalokam): Soma-loka, the lunar realm

• अनुत्तमम् (anuttamam): unsurpassed.

Speaker

• Īśvara (the Lord; in Matsya Purana discourse commonly Lord Matsya/Vishnu addressing Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Īśvara
• Raupyācala
• Soma
• Soma-loka

Tags

• Dana
• Tirtha
• Merit
• Afterlife
• Ritual gifting

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya; it introduces a dāna (charitable rite) whose fruit is attainment of Soma-loka, reflecting the Purāṇic karmic economy rather than cosmological dissolution.

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

It frames dāna as a central dharma for householders and rulers: performing prescribed gifts (like Raupyācala) is presented as a sanctioned means to gain auspicious post-mortem realms such as Soma-loka.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The term Raupyācala (“silver mountain”) points to a ritual gift-object (a symbolic mountain made/represented in silver or as a ‘mountain-gift’), signaling a structured dāna-vidhi rather than Vāstu or temple architecture rules in this specific verse.