Matsya Purana — Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī: The Sixty Sacred Vows, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

आकाशशायी वर्षासु धेनुमन्ते पयस्विनीम् शक्रलोके वसेन्नित्यम् इन्द्रव्रतमिदं स्मृतम् //

Transliteration

ākāśaśāyī varṣāsu dhenumante payasvinīm śakraloke vasennityam indravratamidaṃ smṛtam //

Translation

వర్షాకాలంలో ఆకాశశాయిగా (బయట ఎత్తైన శయ్యపై) శయనించి, దూడతో కూడిన పాలు ఇచ్చే ఆవును దానం చేసినవాడు శక్రలోకంలో నిత్యం నివసిస్తాడు; ఇదే ఇంద్రవ్రతమని స్మృతం।

Word by Word

• ākāśaśāyī: one who lies/sleeps in the open sky (on a raised/open bed)

• varṣāsu: in the rainy season

• dhenumant(e): with a calf (lit. possessing a calf)

• payasvinīm: a milk-yielding cow, a milch-cow

• śakraloke: in Śakra’s (Indra’s) world

• vaset: may dwell

• nityam: always/forever

• indravratam: the vow/observance dedicated to Indra

• idaṃ: this

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

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating the Matsya Purana’s vrata-teachings; traditionally rooted in the Matsya–Manu dialogue)

Entities Mentioned

• Śakra (Indra)

Tags

• Vrata
• Dāna (Charity)
• Rainy-season discipline
• Indraloka
• Ritual observance

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it teaches a rain-season vow (Indra-vrata) and its heavenly result—residence in Indra’s realm.

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

It frames dharma as disciplined seasonal conduct plus dāna: a householder (and by extension a king) gains merit through restraint in the monsoon and by supporting society via go-dāna (gifting a productive cow with calf).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it prescribes a vrata practice—sleeping “in the open/aloft” during varṣā-ṛtu and completing it with a specific gift (milch-cow with calf), indicating regulated bodily discipline and a defined dāna as the rite’s completion.