Shloka 1

Matsya Purana — Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī: The Sixty Sacred Vows

Devanagari script

*नन्दिकेश्वर उवाच अथातः सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि व्रतषष्ठीमनुत्तमाम् रुद्रेणाभिहितां दिव्यां महापातकनाशनम् //

Transliteration

*nandikeśvara uvāca athātaḥ sampravakṣyāmi vrataṣaṣṭhīmanuttamām rudreṇābhihitāṃ divyāṃ mahāpātakanāśanam //

Translation

Nandikeśvara said: Now I shall fully expound the unsurpassed observance called Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī—a divine vow taught by Rudra, which destroys even the gravest sins.

Word by Word

• नन्दिकेश्वरः: Nandikeśvara

• उवाच: said

• अथातः: now, therefore

• सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि: I will explain in full

• व्रतषष्ठीम्: the vow/observance named Ṣaṣṭhī

• अनुत्तमाम्: unsurpassed, supreme

• रुद्रेण: by Rudra (Śiva)

• अभिहिताम्: spoken, taught

• दिव्याम्: divine, sacred

• महापातकनाशनम्: destroyer of great sins (mahāpātakas).

Speaker

• Nandikeśvara

Entities Mentioned

• Nandikeśvara
• Rudra (Śiva)
• Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī

Tags

• Vrata
• Dharma
• Sin-removal
• Shaiva
• Ritual

FAQs

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

This verse does not address creation or Pralaya; it introduces a ritual vow (Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī) described as a powerful purifier of major sins.

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

It frames vrata-practice as a central duty within dharma: householders (and rulers) can pursue moral restoration and religious merit through prescribed vows, especially those said to remove mahāpātakas.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual rather than architectural: it announces a specific sacred observance (Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī), credited to Rudra, emphasized as a formal means of purification and expiation.