Shloka 12

Matsya Purana — The Rite of the Jaggery-Cow

Devanagari script

देहस्था या च रुद्राणी शंकरस्य सदा प्रिया धेनुरूपेण सा देवी मम पापं व्यपोहतु //

Transliteration

dehasthā yā ca rudrāṇī śaṃkarasya sadā priyā dhenurūpeṇa sā devī mama pāpaṃ vyapohatu //

Translation

May that Rudrāṇī—dwelling within the body, ever dear to Śaṅkara—she who appears in the form of the cow, remove my sin.

Word by Word

• देहस्था (dehasthā): abiding in the body/embodied within

• या (yā): who

• च (ca): and

• रुद्राणी (rudrāṇī): Rudrāṇī, the consort/power of Rudra (Śiva)

• शंकरस्य (śaṃkarasya): of Śaṅkara (Śiva)

• सदा (sadā): always

• प्रिया (priyā): beloved

• धेनुरूपेण (dhenurūpeṇa): in the form of a cow

• सा (sā): she/that

• देवी (devī): Goddess

• मम (mama): my

• पापं (pāpaṃ): sin/demerit

• व्यपोहतु (vyapohatu): may she remove/drive away completely.

Speaker

• Likely a devotee/narratorial prayer-voice within the Purāṇic narration (stuti-style verse); traditionally framed in Matsya Purāṇa discourse as recited within the Sūta’s narration.

Entities Mentioned

• Rudrāṇī
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Devī (Goddess)
• Dhenurūpā (Cow-form)

Tags

• Devī-Stuti
• Pāpa-nāśa
• Ritual Prayer
• Śaiva-Śākta
• Protective Invocation

FAQs

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

This verse is not about cosmic creation or pralaya; it is a protective devotional prayer (stuti) seeking the removal of personal sin through the grace of Rudrāṇī in a sacred, beneficent form.

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

It supports the householder/kingly ethic of maintaining purity and dharma through devotion and expiation: acknowledging pāpa and seeking its removal via sanctioned devotional recitation, aligning conduct with righteousness.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual takeaway is stuti-japa/prayer as an expiatory act; the cow-form imagery highlights sanctity and protection (often linked with auspiciousness and purification), rather than temple architecture or Vāstu prescriptions.