Shloka 21

Matsya Purana — Eclipse-Time Planetary Bath

Devanagari script

प्राङ्मुखः पूजयित्वा तु नमस्यन्निष्टदेवताम् चन्द्रग्रहे विनिर्वृत्ते कृतगोदानमङ्गलः कृतस्नानाय तं पट्टं ब्राह्मणाय निवेदयेत् //

Transliteration

prāṅmukhaḥ pūjayitvā tu namasyanniṣṭadevatām candragrahe vinirvṛtte kṛtagodānamaṅgalaḥ kṛtasnānāya taṃ paṭṭaṃ brāhmaṇāya nivedayet //

Translation

Dengan menghadap ke timur, hendaklah seseorang memuja dan bersujud kepada dewa pilihannya. Apabila gerhana bulan telah berakhir, setelah melaksanakan upacara mujarab pemberian lembu dan selesai mandi, hendaklah kain (paṭṭa) itu dipersembahkan kepada seorang brāhmaṇa.

Word by Word

• प्राङ्मुखः: facing east

• पूजयित्वा: having worshipped

• तु: indeed/then

• नमस्यन्: bowing/saluting

• इष्टदेवताम्: the chosen/personal deity

• चन्द्रग्रहे: in (the time of) lunar eclipse

• विनिर्वृत्ते: when it has ceased/ended

• कृत-गोदान-मङ्गलः: having performed the auspicious act/rite of cow-donation

• कृत-स्नानः: having bathed

• तम्: that

• पट्टम्: cloth/garment (fine cloth)

• ब्राह्मणाय: to a brāhmaṇa

• निवेदयेत्: should offer/present.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, ritual-dharma discourse context)

Entities Mentioned

• Iṣṭa-devatā
• Candra (Moon)
• Brāhmaṇa
• Go-dāna (cow donation)

Tags

• Dharma
• Grahaṇa
• Go-dāna
• Snāna
• Ritual Procedure

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya; it focuses on post-eclipse (grahaṇa) ritual purification, worship, and meritorious donation as part of dharma.

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

It frames a householder’s (and by extension a king’s) duty to observe purity and charity: worship facing east, bathe after the eclipse, and complete prescribed gifts—especially go-dāna and gifting cloth to a brāhmaṇa—reflecting social-religious responsibility and merit-making.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual (not architectural): correct orientation (facing east), eclipse-closure timing, bathing (snāna) for purification, and the prescribed donations (cow and cloth) culminating in a brāhmaṇa offering.