Shloka 44

Matsya Purana — Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī: The Sixty Sacred Vows

Devanagari script

वर्जयेच्चैत्रमासे च यश्च गन्धानुलेपनम् शुक्तिं गन्धभृतां दत्त्वा विप्राय सितवाससी वारुणं पदमाप्नोति दृढव्रतमिदं स्मृतम् //

Transliteration

varjayeccaitramāse ca yaśca gandhānulepanam śuktiṃ gandhabhṛtāṃ dattvā viprāya sitavāsasī vāruṇaṃ padamāpnoti dṛḍhavratamidaṃ smṛtam //

Translation

ചൈത്ര മാസത്തിൽ സുഗന്ധലേപനം ഒഴിവാക്കി, സുഗന്ധം നിറച്ച ശുക്തി (ശംഖ-ശുക്തി പാത്രം)യും വെളുത്ത വസ്ത്രങ്ങളും ബ്രാഹ്മണന് ദാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ വരുണപദം (വരുണലോകം) പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു. ഇതിനെ ‘ദൃഢ-വ്രതം’ എന്നു സ്മൃതിയിൽ പറയുന്നു.

Word by Word

• varjayet: should abstain/avoid

• caitra-māse: in the month of Caitra

• yaḥ ca: and whoever

• gandha-anulepanam: anointing with perfumes/perfumed paste

• śuktim: a conch shell (as a vessel)/shell-cup

• gandha-bhṛtām: filled with fragrance/perfume

• dattvā: having given

• viprāya: to a brāhmaṇa

• sita-vāsasī: white garments (two pieces)/white clothing

• vāruṇam: belonging to Varuṇa

• padam: world/abode/realm

• āpnoti: attains

• dṛḍha-vratam: firm vow

• idam: this

• smṛtam: is declared/remembered (in tradition)

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) conveying the Matsya Purana’s vrata-vidhi in a prescriptive style

Entities Mentioned

• Varuṇa
• Brāhmaṇa (Vipra)

Tags

• Vrata
• Dāna
• Caitra
• Ritual Purity
• Varuna Loka

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya; it teaches a vrata (discipline) and dāna (gift) whose merit is said to lead to Varuṇa’s realm.

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

It reflects householder ethics in the Matsya Purana: self-restraint (avoiding luxury like perfumes for a month) combined with charity to a brāhmaṇa, linking personal discipline and social-religious giving to spiritual reward.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it prescribes Caitra-month restraint and a specific dāna: a conch-shell vessel filled with fragrance plus white garments, presented to a brāhmaṇa, as a defined vow leading to Varuṇa-loka.