Matsya Purana — Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī: The Sixty Sacred Vows
नवम्यामेकभक्तं तु कृत्वा कन्याश्च शक्तितः भोजयित्वासनं दद्याद् धैमकञ्चुकवाससी //
navamyāmekabhaktaṃ tu kṛtvā kanyāśca śaktitaḥ bhojayitvāsanaṃ dadyād dhaimakañcukavāsasī //
On the ninth day, having observed the one-meal fast, one should, according to one’s means, feed young maidens; and then one should gift them a seat (āsana), along with a golden bodice and garments.
This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it focuses on vrata-dharma—fasting, feeding, and charitable gifting prescribed for the ninth lunar day.
It teaches householders (and rulers as exemplars) to combine self-restraint (one-meal observance) with compassion and social duty—honoring and feeding kanyas and giving appropriate gifts according to one’s capacity.
The ritual significance is dāna-vidhi: after feeding, one offers an āsana (seat) and clothing (including a golden bodice), reflecting formal completion of the observance through prescribed gifts.