Shloka 54

Matsya Purana — Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī: The Sixty Sacred Vows

Devanagari script

पक्षोपवासी यो दद्याद् विप्राय कपिलाद्वयम् ब्रह्मलोकमवाप्नोति देवासुरसुपूजितम् कल्पान्ते राजराजः स्यात् प्रभाव्रतमिदं स्मृतम् //

Transliteration

pakṣopavāsī yo dadyād viprāya kapilādvayam brahmalokamavāpnoti devāsurasupūjitam kalpānte rājarājaḥ syāt prabhāvratamidaṃ smṛtam //

Translation

Whoever, observing a fortnight-long fast, gives a brāhmaṇa a pair of tawny (kapilā) cows attains the world of Brahmā, revered by gods and demons alike; and at the end of the kalpa he becomes a king of kings. This is remembered as the Prabhā-vrata.

Word by Word

• पक्षोपवासी: one who fasts for a fortnight

• यः: whoever

• दद्यात्: should give/gives

• विप्राय: to a Brahmin

• कपिलाद्वयम्: a pair (two) of tawny cows

• ब्रह्मलोकम्: Brahmaloka, the world of Brahmā

• अवाप्नोति: attains

• देवासुरसुपूजितम्: highly honored by devas and asuras

• कल्पान्ते: at the end of a kalpa/cosmic cycle

• राजराजः: king of kings, paramount ruler

• स्यात्: becomes

• प्रभाव्रतम्: the Prabhā vow/observance

• इदम्: this

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

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (teaching Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Brahmaloka
• Brahmin (Vipra)
• Devas
• Asuras
• Kapila cows
• Kalpa

Tags

• Dharma
• Dana
• Vrata
• Cow-gift
• Merit (Punya)

FAQs

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

It uses cosmic-time language—“kalpānte” (end of a kalpa)—to frame karmic results across vast cycles, implying that merits from vrata and dāna can bear fruit even at the close of a cosmic age.

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

It promotes the householder/kingly virtue of dāna (charitable giving), specifically supporting Brahmins and ritual order; the promised fruit—becoming “rājarāja” (king of kings)—links ethical generosity with ideal rulership in the Matsya Purana’s dharma framework.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it prescribes a vrata: fasting for a fortnight and gifting two kapilā cows to a Brahmin; it does not discuss Vāstu or temple architecture in this verse, but it is a clear dana–vrata procedure with stated spiritual and worldly rewards.