Shloka 171

Matsya Purana — The Strategy to Defeat Tāraka: Pārvatī’s Birth

Devanagari script

शुभोदयानां धन्यानां न कदाचित्प्रयच्छताम् स्वछाययास्याश्चरणौ त्वयोक्तौ व्यभिचारिणौ //

Transliteration

śubhodayānāṃ dhanyānāṃ na kadācitprayacchatām svachāyayāsyāścaraṇau tvayoktau vyabhicāriṇau //

Translation

Never grant your favor to those who ever rise in fortune and call themselves “blessed,” yet do not truly give in charity. Even her very shadow—so you have said—becomes unfaithful at your feet.

Word by Word

• śubhodayānām: of those whose prosperity/auspicious rise has begun

• dhanyānām: of the fortunate/so-called blessed

• na kadācit: never, at any time

• prayacchatām: of those who give/bestow (esp. in charity)—here implying those who fail to give

• sva-chāyayā: by/with one’s own shadow

• asyāḥ: of her/this woman (contextually, ‘fortune’ or a personified figure)

• caraṇau: the two feet

• tvayā uktau: spoken/declared by you

• vyabhicāriṇau: wavering, unfaithful, deviating (not constant).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (instructing Vaivasvata Manu in a didactic passage on conduct and discernment)

Entities Mentioned

• Matsya
• Manu

Tags

• Rajadharma
• Niti
• Dana
• Discrimination
• Ethics

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it is a moral warning about the instability of fortune and the danger of favoring those who do not practice giving.

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

It advises discernment in patronage: a king or householder should support the genuinely charitable and virtuous, not those who merely appear ‘fortunate’ while withholding generosity—since such associations prove unreliable.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vastu or temple-ritual rule is stated here; the focus is on dana (giving) and the ethical instability of those tied to fickle fortune.