Matsya Purana — The Rite of Gifting the ‘Silver Mountain’, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

*ईश्वर उवाच अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि रौप्याचलमनुत्तमम् यत्प्रदानान्नरो याति सोमलोकमनुत्तमम् //

Transliteration

*īśvara uvāca ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣyāmi raupyācalamanuttamam yatpradānānnaro yāti somalokamanuttamam //

Translation

ईश्वर نے فرمایا—اب میں بے مثال ‘رौپ्यاچل’ کے دان کی विधि بیان کرتا ہوں؛ جس کے دان سے انسان بے مثال سوم لوک (چندر لوک) کو پاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• ईश्वर (īśvara): the Lord

• उवाच (uvāca): said

• अतः परम् (ataḥ param): hereafter/next

• प्रवक्ष्यामि (pravakṣyāmi): I shall expound

• रौप्याचलम् (raupyācalam): ‘silver mountain’ (a meritorious gift/ritual object)

• अनुत्तमम् (anuttamam): unsurpassed, excellent

• यत्-प्रदानात् (yat-pradānāt): by the giving of which

• नरः (naraḥ): a man

• याति (yāti): goes/attains

• सोमलोकम् (somalokam): Soma-loka, the lunar realm

• अनुत्तमम् (anuttamam): unsurpassed.

Speaker

• Īśvara (the Lord; in Matsya Purana discourse commonly Lord Matsya/Vishnu addressing Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Īśvara
• Raupyācala
• Soma
• Soma-loka

Tags

• Dana
• Tirtha
• Merit
• Afterlife
• Ritual gifting

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya; it introduces a dāna (charitable rite) whose fruit is attainment of Soma-loka, reflecting the Purāṇic karmic economy rather than cosmological dissolution.

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

It frames dāna as a central dharma for householders and rulers: performing prescribed gifts (like Raupyācala) is presented as a sanctioned means to gain auspicious post-mortem realms such as Soma-loka.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The term Raupyācala (“silver mountain”) points to a ritual gift-object (a symbolic mountain made/represented in silver or as a ‘mountain-gift’), signaling a structured dāna-vidhi rather than Vāstu or temple architecture rules in this specific verse.