Matsya Purana — Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī: The Sixty Sacred Vows, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

सप्तम्यां नक्तभुग्दद्यात् समान्ते गां पयस्विनीम् सूर्यलोकमवाप्नोति भानुव्रतमिदं स्मृतम् //

Transliteration

saptamyāṃ naktabhugdadyāt samānte gāṃ payasvinīm sūryalokamavāpnoti bhānuvratamidaṃ smṛtam //

Translation

سَپتمی کو صرف رات میں کھانا کھائے؛ اور آخر میں دودھ دینے والی گائے کا دان کرے۔ اس سے سورَیَ لوک حاصل ہوتا ہے—یہ بھانو ورت کہلاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• सप्तम्याम् (saptamyām): on the seventh lunar day (Saptamī)

• नक्तभुक् (naktabhuk): one who eats at night only

• दद्यात् (dadyāt): should give, should donate

• समान्ते (samānte): at the end, upon completion

• गां (gām): a cow

• पयस्विनीम् (payasvinīm): milk-giving, lactating

• सूर्यलोकम् (sūryalokam): the Sun’s world/realm

• अवाप्नोति (avāpnoti): attains, reaches

• भानुव्रतम् (bhānuvratam): vow dedicated to Bhānu (the Sun)

• इदम् (idam): this

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

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, in the vrata-dharma teaching style of the Matsya Purana)

Entities Mentioned

• Surya (Bhanu)
• Saptami
• Go-dana (cow-gift)

Tags

• Vrata
• Surya-upasana
• Dana
• Dharma
• Phala-shruti

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it teaches vrata-dharma—how a Sun-focused vow (Bhānu-vrata) yields a specific posthumous result, namely attainment of Sūryaloka.

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

It prescribes a disciplined observance (night-only eating on Saptamī) and a concluding act of generosity (donating a milk-giving cow), reflecting the householder duty of combining self-restraint with dāna for merit.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is vrata procedure and phala: Saptamī observance with naktabhojana and go-dāna as the concluding gift, oriented to Sūrya-upāsanā rather than Vāstu or temple construction.