Shloka 19

Matsya Purana — The Sarasvata Vrata: Vow for Sweet Speech

Devanagari script

सारस्वतं व्रतं यस्तु शृणुयादपि यः पठेत् विद्याधरपुरे सो ऽपि वसेत्कल्पायुतत्रयम् //

Transliteration

sārasvataṃ vrataṃ yastu śṛṇuyādapi yaḥ paṭhet vidyādharapure so 'pi vasetkalpāyutatrayam //

Translation

Whoever listens to, or even recites, the Sarasvata vow (Sārasvata-vrata), that person too dwells in the city of the Vidyādharas for three ayutas of kalpas.

Word by Word

• सारस्वतम् (sārasvatam): pertaining to Sarasvatī

• व्रतम् (vratam): religious observance, vow

• यः (yaḥ): whoever

• तु (tu): indeed

• शृणुयात् (śṛṇuyāt): may hear, listens to

• अपि (api): even

• यः (yaḥ): who

• पठेत् (paṭhet): may recite, reads aloud

• विद्याधरपुरे (vidyādharapure): in the city/world of the Vidyādharas

• सः (saḥ): he, that person

• अपि (api): also

• वसेत् (vaset): would dwell, resides

• कल्प (kalpa): aeon

• अयुत (ayuta): ten-thousand (a myriad)

• त्रयम् (trayam): three

Speaker

• Suta (narratorial voice conveying the Matsya Purana’s vrata-phala passage)

Entities Mentioned

• Sarasvati
• Vidyadharas

Tags

• Vrata
• Sarasvati
• Phalaśruti
• Merit
• Ritual

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya directly; it is a phalaśruti (statement of results) promising a celestial post-mortem realm (Vidyādhara-pura) as the fruit of hearing/reciting the Sarasvata-vrata.

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

It frames a practical dharmic duty—śravaṇa (listening) and pāṭha (recitation) of a prescribed vow—as accessible merit-making for householders (and rulers alike), emphasizing that even participation through hearing grants spiritual reward.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is the Sarasvata-vrata itself and its phala (reward); no Vāstu or temple-building rule is stated, but the verse highlights the Purāṇic principle that correct vow-observance and recitation yield defined spiritual destinations.