Matsya Purana — Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī: The Sixty Sacred Vows, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

यावत्समा भवेद्यस्तु पञ्चदश्यां पयोव्रतः समान्ते श्राद्धकृद्दद्यात् पञ्च गास्तु पयस्विनीः //

Transliteration

yāvatsamā bhavedyastu pañcadaśyāṃ payovrataḥ samānte śrāddhakṛddadyāt pañca gāstu payasvinīḥ //

Translation

പഞ്ചദശിയിൽ പയോവ്രതം സ്വീകരിച്ച്, താൻ നിശ്ചയിച്ചത്ര വർഷം അത് പാലിക്കുന്നവൻ; ആ വർഷങ്ങളുടെ അവസാനം ശ്രാദ്ധം നടത്തി പാൽ തരുന്ന അഞ്ചു പശുക്കളെ ദാനം ചെയ്യണം.

Word by Word

• yāvat-samā: for as many years (as vowed)

• bhavet: may be/continues

• yaḥ tu: whoever indeed

• pañcadaśyām: on the fifteenth (tithi)

• payo-vrataḥ: the milk-vow (a vow sustained on milk)

• samānte: at the end of the year(s)/at the completion

• śrāddha-kṛt: one who performs Śrāddha

• dadyāt: should give (as a gift)

• pañca: five

• gāḥ: cows

• tu: indeed

• payasvinīḥ: milk-giving, lactating cows.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, within the Matsya Purana’s vrata-vidhi discourse)

Entities Mentioned

• Śrāddha
• Payovrata
• Pañcadaśī
• Go-dāna (gift of cows)

Tags

• Dharma
• Vrata
• Śrāddha
• Go-dāna
• Ritual procedure

FAQs

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

This verse does not address Pralaya; it focuses on dharma—specifically, how a vow (payovrata) should be concluded with Śrāddha and prescribed charity.

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

It presents a householder-style dharma model: observe a disciplined vow, then complete it with ancestral rites (Śrāddha) and public charity (donation of cows), reinforcing social and ritual responsibility.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual, not architectural: the vow’s proper closure requires Śrāddha and a specific dāna—five lactating cows—indicating that completion rites and charity are integral to vrata practice.