Shloka 73

Matsya Purana — Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī: The Sixty Sacred Vows

Devanagari script

उपवासं परित्यज्य समान्ते गोप्रदो भवेत् यक्षाधिपत्यमाप्नोति सुखव्रतमिदं स्मृतम् //

Transliteration

upavāsaṃ parityajya samānte goprado bhavet yakṣādhipatyamāpnoti sukhavratamidaṃ smṛtam //

Translation

After completing the fast, one should conclude by gifting a cow. By this observance, one attains lordship among the Yakṣas; this is remembered as the Sukha-vrata (the vow that brings ease and well-being).

Word by Word

• upavāsam: fasting/abstinence

• parityajya: having set aside/after concluding

• samānte: at the end (of the observance)

• go-pradaḥ: a giver of a cow

• bhavet: should become/should be

• yakṣa-adhipatyam: sovereignty/lordship over the Yakṣas

• āpnoti: attains

• sukha-vratam: the Sukha-vrata (vow for happiness/ease)

• idam: this

• smṛtam: is declared/remembered in tradition

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu (contextual attribution within Matsya Purana’s vrata-teachings)

Entities Mentioned

• Yakṣas
• Go (cow)

Tags

• Vrata
• Upavasa
• Dana
• Go-dana
• Phala-shruti

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya or cosmogony; it is a phala-śruti passage describing the spiritual result of completing a vow with charity.

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

It frames dharma as disciplined restraint (fasting) completed by dāna (cow-gift). For householders and rulers alike, the verse emphasizes that religious observances should culminate in public-spirited generosity, not mere self-mortification.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual takeaway is procedural: a vrata is concluded (samānte) by a prescribed donation—go-dāna—highlighting correct completion rites rather than any Vāstu or temple-building rule.