Matsya Purana — Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī: The Sixty Sacred Vows, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

जन्मायुतं स राजा स्यात् ततः शिवपुरं व्रजेत् एतद् आयुर्व्रतं नाम सर्वकामप्रदायकम् //

Transliteration

janmāyutaṃ sa rājā syāt tataḥ śivapuraṃ vrajet etad āyurvrataṃ nāma sarvakāmapradāyakam //

Translation

അവൻ പത്തായിരം ജന്മങ്ങൾ രാജാവായിരിക്കും; തുടർന്ന് ശിവപുരത്തിലേക്ക് പോകും. ഇതിനെ ‘ആയുർവ്രതം’ എന്നു പറയുന്നു; ഇത് എല്ലാ അഭിലാഷങ്ങളും നൽകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• janma: birth

• āyutam: ten thousand (a very large count)

• saḥ: he

• rājā: king

• syāt: would become

• tataḥ: thereafter/then

• śivapuram: Śiva’s city/abode

• vrajet: would go/attain

• etat: this

• āyur-vratam: vow for longevity (and life-prosperity)

• nāma: by name/called

• sarva-kāma: all desires/aspirations

• pradāyakam: bestowing/granting

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, within a vrata-phala discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• Shiva
• Shivapura (Śiva’s abode)

Tags

• Vrata
• Dharma
• Phalaśruti
• Longevity
• Moksha

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya; it is a phalaśruti (result statement) promising multi-birth kingship and eventual attainment of Śiva’s abode through the Āyur-vrata.

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

It frames vrata-observance as a householder’s dharmic practice that yields both worldly prosperity (rulership/status) and a higher spiritual end (attaining Śivapura), aligning royal/householder life with ritual discipline.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is the Āyur-vrata itself and its promised fruit; no specific Vāstu or temple-building rule is stated in this verse, though “Śivapura” implies a Śaiva soteriological destination.