Matsya Purana — Code of Conduct and Vow-Procedure for Courtesans, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

तेषां व्रातसहस्राणि शतान्यपि च योषिताम् परिणीतानि यानि स्युर् बलाद्भुक्तानि यानि वै तानि सर्वाणि देवेशः प्रोवाच वदतां वरः //

Transliteration

teṣāṃ vrātasahasrāṇi śatānyapi ca yoṣitām pariṇītāni yāni syur balādbhuktāni yāni vai tāni sarvāṇi deveśaḥ provāca vadatāṃ varaḥ //

Translation

Mengenai para perempuan itu—ribuan laku tapa dan ratusan pantangan yang mereka jalani, pernikahan yang sah menurut tata, maupun peristiwa ketika mereka dinodai dengan paksa—semuanya dinyatakan oleh Penguasa para dewa, yang utama dalam tutur kata.

Word by Word

• teṣām: of them

• vrāta-sahasrāṇi: thousands of vow-observances/regulated religious observances

• śatāni api ca: even hundreds

• yoṣitām: of women

• pariṇītāni: (those) properly married/led into marriage

• yāni syuḥ: whatever may be/that which are

• balāt-bhuktāni: enjoyed/violated by force (i.e., raped)

• yāni vai: which indeed

• tāni sarvāṇi: all those

• deveśaḥ: the Lord of the gods

• provāca: proclaimed/expounded

• vadatām varaḥ: the best of speakers/foremost among those who speak

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu), as the authoritative teacher in dialogue

Entities Mentioned

• Deveśa (Lord of the gods)
• Yoṣit (women)

Tags

• Dharma
• Prāyaścitta
• Vivāha
• Strī-dharma
• Social Ethics

FAQs

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

This verse is not about cosmic dissolution; it shifts to dharma—how vows, marriages, and violations involving women are to be accounted for and explained by the divine teacher.

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

It frames a king’s/householder’s duty to treat marital status and sexual violation as serious dharmic categories—distinguishing lawful marriage from coercion and requiring principled adjudication and ethical reckoning rather than confusion of cases.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual element appears indirectly through “vrāta” (vow-observances): the text signals that vows and social rites (like marriage) must be interpreted within dharma, but no Vāstu or temple-architecture rule is stated in this verse.