Shloka 5

Matsya Purana — Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī: The Sixty Sacred Vows

Devanagari script

यस्तु नीलोत्पलं हैमं शर्करापात्रसंयुतम् एकान्तरितनक्ताशी समान्ते वृषसंयुतम् स वैष्णवं पदं याति लीलाव्रतमिदं स्मृतम् //

Transliteration

yastu nīlotpalaṃ haimaṃ śarkarāpātrasaṃyutam ekāntaritanaktāśī samānte vṛṣasaṃyutam sa vaiṣṇavaṃ padaṃ yāti līlāvratamidaṃ smṛtam //

Translation

Whoever offers a blue lotus together with a golden vessel containing sugar, observing a regimen of eating only at night on alternate days, and at the conclusion gives a bull as well—such a person attains the supreme Vaiṣṇava state. This observance is known as the Līlā-vrata.

Word by Word

• yas tu: whoever

• nīlotpalam: blue lotus

• haimam: made of gold / golden

• śarkarā: sugar (sugar-candy)

• pātra: vessel, bowl

• saṃyutam: accompanied with, joined with

• ekāntarita: on alternate (days), every other

• naktāśī: one who eats at night (night-only eater)

• samānte: at the end, upon completion

• vṛṣa-saṃyutam: accompanied by (the gift of) a bull

• saḥ: he

• vaiṣṇavam: belonging to Viṣṇu, Vaishnava

• padam: state, abode, highest station

• yāti: attains, goes to

• līlā-vratam: the vow called Līlā

• idam: this

• smṛtam: is remembered/declared (in tradition).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (as narrator of dharma/vrata instructions) to Vaivasvata Manu (contextual dialogue framework of the Matsya Purana)

Entities Mentioned

• Vishnu (Vaiṣṇava pada)

Tags

• Vrata
• Vaishnava Dharma
• Ritual Offering
• Dāna (Gift)
• Upavāsa (Fasting regimen)

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it teaches a Vaishnava vow (vrata) involving specific offerings, dietary restraint, and a concluding gift, promising attainment of the Vaishnava state.

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

It frames dharma as disciplined observance: controlled eating (naktāśī, alternate days) and charitable giving (a concluding bull-gift). For householders—and especially rulers who model public virtue—it emphasizes self-restraint plus dāna as a path to religious merit and devotion to Viṣṇu.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual rather than architectural: prescribed items (blue lotus, sugar in a golden vessel), a specific fasting pattern, and an end-of-vow donation (bull) define the Līlā-vrata’s procedure and its promised spiritual result.