Matsya Purana — Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī: The Sixty Sacred Vows, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

माघे निश्यार्द्रवासाः स्यात् सप्तम्यां गोप्रदो भवेत् दिवि कल्पमुषित्वेह राजा स्यात्पवनं व्रतम् //

Transliteration

māghe niśyārdravāsāḥ syāt saptamyāṃ goprado bhavet divi kalpamuṣitveha rājā syātpavanaṃ vratam //

Translation

In the month of Māgha, one should wear garments moistened by the night (dew). On the seventh lunar day, one should give a cow in charity. Having dwelt in heaven for an aeon (kalpa), one becomes a king here on earth. This is called the Pavana vow (Wind/Purifying vow).

Word by Word

• māghe: in (the month of) Māgha

• niśyā-ardra-vāsāḥ: wearing clothes made damp by the night/dew

• syāt: should be/let it be

• saptamyām: on the seventh (tithi)

• go-pradaḥ: giver of a cow (cow-donor)

• bhavet: becomes

• divi: in heaven

• kalpam: an aeon, a kalpa

• uṣitvā: having dwelt/stayed

• iha: here (on earth)

• rājā: a king

• syāt: becomes

• pavanaṃ: Pavana, wind/purifier

• vratam: vow/observance

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Māgha
• Saptamī
• Go-dāna
• Pavana-vrata

Tags

• Vrata
• Dana
• Māgha
• Saptamī
• Phalaśruti

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it belongs to vrata-phalāni (results of vows), describing a Māgha observance and its karmic fruit (heavenly enjoyment and later kingship).

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

It prescribes householder-style dharma: bodily discipline (austerity through dew-damp clothing) and charity (go-dāna on Saptamī), teaching that purity and generosity are foundations for prosperity and rulership.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual rather than architectural: it defines a specific tithi-based observance in Māgha, culminating in cow-gift charity, and names the practice as the Pavana (purifying) vrata.