Matsya Purana — Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī: The Sixty Sacred Vows, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

कृच्छ्रान्ते गोप्रदः कुर्याद् भोजनं शक्तितः पदम् विप्राणां शांकरं याति प्राजापत्यमिदं व्रतम् //

Transliteration

kṛcchrānte gopradaḥ kuryād bhojanaṃ śaktitaḥ padam viprāṇāṃ śāṃkaraṃ yāti prājāpatyamidaṃ vratam //

Translation

Ao concluir a observância do Kṛcchra, aquele que doou uma vaca deve oferecer, conforme sua capacidade, uma refeição aos brâmanes; por este voto Prajāpatya, alcança-se o estado ou morada de Śāṃkara (Śiva).

Word by Word

• kṛcchra-ante: at the end of the Kṛcchra penance

• go-pradaḥ: the giver of a cow (one who donates a cow)

• kuryāt: should do/perform

• bhojanam: feeding, a meal

• śaktitaḥ: according to ability/means

• padam: abode, state, realm (goal)

• viprāṇām: of/for the Brahmins

• śāṃkaram: belonging to Śaṅkara (Śiva), Śiva’s realm/state

• yāti: goes/attains

• prājāpatyam: pertaining to Prajāpati, the Prajāpatya vow

• idam: this

• vratam: vow/observance

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, as part of dharma-upadeśa)

Entities Mentioned

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Prajāpati
• Vipra (Brahmins)

Tags

• Dharma
• Vrata
• Dāna
• Prāyaścitta
• Śiva-loka

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya or cosmology; it focuses on dharma—how to conclude a penance with charity (cow-gift) and Brahmin-feeding to gain a higher spiritual state.

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

It prescribes a practical householder/royal duty: after completing an austerity (Kṛcchra), one should give a cow and feed Brahmins according to one’s means—linking personal discipline with social-religious responsibility (dāna and anna-dāna).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual rather than architectural: it specifies the concluding rite (uttara-kriyā) of the observance—cow donation and Brahmin-feeding—as the efficacious completion of the Prajāpatya-vrata.