Matsya Purana — Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī: The Sixty Sacred Vows, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

यस्तु नीलोत्पलं हैमं शर्करापात्रसंयुतम् एकान्तरितनक्ताशी समान्ते वृषसंयुतम् स वैष्णवं पदं याति लीलाव्रतमिदं स्मृतम् //

Transliteration

yastu nīlotpalaṃ haimaṃ śarkarāpātrasaṃyutam ekāntaritanaktāśī samānte vṛṣasaṃyutam sa vaiṣṇavaṃ padaṃ yāti līlāvratamidaṃ smṛtam //

Translation

जो सुवर्ण नीलोत्पल शर्करायुक्त सुवर्णपात्रासह अर्पण करतो, एकाआड दिवशी नक्ताशी राहतो, आणि व्रताच्या शेवटी वृषभही दान करतो—तो वैष्णव परम पद प्राप्त करतो. हे ‘लीलाव्रत’ म्हणून स्मृत आहे।

Word by Word

• yas tu: whoever

• nīlotpalam: blue lotus

• haimam: made of gold / golden

• śarkarā: sugar (sugar-candy)

• pātra: vessel, bowl

• saṃyutam: accompanied with, joined with

• ekāntarita: on alternate (days), every other

• naktāśī: one who eats at night (night-only eater)

• samānte: at the end, upon completion

• vṛṣa-saṃyutam: accompanied by (the gift of) a bull

• saḥ: he

• vaiṣṇavam: belonging to Viṣṇu, Vaishnava

• padam: state, abode, highest station

• yāti: attains, goes to

• līlā-vratam: the vow called Līlā

• idam: this

• smṛtam: is remembered/declared (in tradition).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (as narrator of dharma/vrata instructions) to Vaivasvata Manu (contextual dialogue framework of the Matsya Purana)

Entities Mentioned

• Vishnu (Vaiṣṇava pada)

Tags

• Vrata
• Vaishnava Dharma
• Ritual Offering
• Dāna (Gift)
• Upavāsa (Fasting regimen)

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it teaches a Vaishnava vow (vrata) involving specific offerings, dietary restraint, and a concluding gift, promising attainment of the Vaishnava state.

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

It frames dharma as disciplined observance: controlled eating (naktāśī, alternate days) and charitable giving (a concluding bull-gift). For householders—and especially rulers who model public virtue—it emphasizes self-restraint plus dāna as a path to religious merit and devotion to Viṣṇu.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual rather than architectural: prescribed items (blue lotus, sugar in a golden vessel), a specific fasting pattern, and an end-of-vow donation (bull) define the Līlā-vrata’s procedure and its promised spiritual result.