Shloka 59

Matsya Purana — Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī: The Sixty Sacred Vows

Devanagari script

पायसाशी समान्ते तु दद्याद्विप्राय गोयुगम् लक्ष्मीलोकमवाप्नोति ह्य् एतद् देवीव्रतं स्मृतम् //

Transliteration

pāyasāśī samānte tu dadyādviprāya goyugam lakṣmīlokamavāpnoti hy etad devīvrataṃ smṛtam //

Translation

Living on pāyasa (rice cooked in milk) during the observance, one should, at its conclusion, gift a pair of cows to a Brāhmaṇa; thereby one attains the world of Lakṣmī—this is remembered as the Devī-vrata.

Word by Word

• pāyasāśī: one who eats pāyasa (rice cooked in milk)

• samānte: at the end/conclusion

• tu: indeed

• dadyāt: should give

• viprāya: to a brāhmaṇa (learned priest)

• go-yugam: a yoke/pair of cows (two cows as a set)

• lakṣmī-lokam: the realm/world of Lakṣmī (prosperity and auspiciousness)

• avāpnoti: attains/obtains

• hi: surely/indeed

• etat: this

• devī-vratam: the vow/observance of the Goddess

• smṛtam: is remembered/declared in tradition.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (teaching Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Lakṣmī
• Devī
• Brāhmaṇa (Vipra)

Tags

• Vrata
• Dāna
• Lakṣmī
• Householder Dharma
• Ritual Observance

FAQs

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

It does not discuss pralaya; it prescribes a Devī/Lakṣmī-oriented vrata, emphasizing dietary restraint and concluding charity as a means to attain Lakṣmī’s realm.

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

It models gṛhastha-dharma through vrata discipline (regulated food) and dāna (gifting cows to a brāhmaṇa), presenting prosperity (Lakṣmī-loka) as the fruit of ethical giving at the rite’s completion.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual takeaway is the vrata’s proper closure: after subsisting on pāyasa, the practitioner should conclude by gifting a pair of cows—an orthodox dāna that completes (samāpti) the Devī-vrata.