Shloka 10

Matsya Purana — The Viśokā-Saptamī Vow

Devanagari script

अनेन विधिना यस्तु वित्तशाठ्यविवर्जितः विशोकसप्तमीं कुर्यात् स याति परमां गतिम् //

Transliteration

anena vidhinā yastu vittaśāṭhyavivarjitaḥ viśokasaptamīṃ kuryāt sa yāti paramāṃ gatim //

Translation

Whoever performs the Viśokā-Saptamī observance in this prescribed manner—free from deceit regarding wealth—attains the supreme destination.

Word by Word

• anena: by this

• vidhinā: prescribed method/rite

• yaḥ tu: whoever indeed

• vitta: wealth

• śāṭhya: deceit/fraud

• vivarjitaḥ: devoid of, free from

• viśokā-saptamīm: the Viśokā Saptamī (the ‘sorrowless’ seventh lunar day observance)

• kuryāt: should perform/undertakes

• saḥ: he

• yāti: goes/attains

• paramām: highest/supreme

• gatim: goal, state, destination

Speaker

• Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) conveying the Matsya Purāṇa’s vrata-phala teaching (in the Manu–Matsya dialogue frame)

Entities Mentioned

• Viśokā Saptamī

Tags

• Vrata
• Dharma
• Ritual purity
• Merit (Puṇya)
• Ethics of charity

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it teaches vrata-dharma, emphasizing that sincere observance (without financial deceit) leads to a highest spiritual end.

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

It sets an ethical condition for religious practice: a householder (and especially a ruler handling public wealth) must avoid vitta-śāṭhya—fraud or stinginess disguised as piety—when undertaking vows and offerings.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is the rule of inner and outer purity: the Viśokā-Saptamī rite must be performed per vidhi, and its efficacy is explicitly tied to honesty in wealth used for worship, gifts, or ritual expenses.