Shloka 9

Matsya Purana — Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī: The Sixty Sacred Vows

Devanagari script

पुष्यादौ यस्त्रयोदश्यां कृत्वा नक्तं मधौ पुनः अशोकं काञ्चनं दद्याद् इक्षुयुक्तं दशाङ्गुलम् //

Transliteration

puṣyādau yastrayodaśyāṃ kṛtvā naktaṃ madhau punaḥ aśokaṃ kāñcanaṃ dadyād ikṣuyuktaṃ daśāṅgulam //

Translation

If, beginning with the auspicious time of Puṣya, a person observes the thirteenth lunar day (trayodaśī) by taking only a night-meal (nakta), then again in the spring month of Madhu he should give as a gift a golden aśoka sprig (or tree), together with sugarcane measuring ten aṅgulas.

Word by Word

• पुष्यादौ (puṣyādau): beginning with Puṣya (nakṣatra/auspicious starting point)

• यः (yaḥ): whoever

• त्रयोदश्याम् (trayodaśyām): on the thirteenth lunar day (Trayodaśī)

• कृत्वा (kṛtvā): having performed/observed

• नक्तम् (naktam): night-meal only (fasting by day)

• मधौ (madhau): in Madhu (spring month, often identified with Caitra)

• पुनः (punaḥ): again/thereafter

• अशोकम् (aśokam): an aśoka plant/sprig (Saraca asoca) or its representation

• काञ्चनम् (kāñcanam): made of gold/golden

• दद्यāt (dadyāt): should give (as a gift)

• इक्षुयुक्तम् (ikṣuyuktam): accompanied by sugarcane

• दशाङ्गुलम् (daśāṅgulam): of ten aṅgulas (ten finger-breadths) in length/measure.

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating Matsya Purāṇa’s vrata–dāna prescriptions; ultimately attributed to Lord Matsya’s teaching tradition)

Entities Mentioned

• Puṣya
• Trayodaśī
• Madhu (Caitra)
• Aśoka
• Ikṣu (sugarcane)

Tags

• Vrata
• Dana
• Trayodashi
• Nakshatra
• Seasonal rites

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it focuses on dharmic observance—fasting on Trayodaśī and giving a specific seasonal gift—showing how merit is cultivated through vrata and dāna rather than cosmology.

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

It gives a householder-style discipline: observe naktavrata (eating only at night) on Trayodaśī and perform dāna in Madhu (spring). Such regulated charity and self-restraint are presented in the Purāṇas as core duties supporting personal purity and social welfare.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it prescribes a nakṣatra/season-linked donation: a golden aśoka (symbol of auspiciousness and flourishing) accompanied by measured sugarcane (ikṣu), indicating that precise items and measures matter in Matsya Purāṇa’s dāna-vidhi.