Matsya Purana — Vrata-Ṣaṣṭhī: The Sixty Sacred Vows, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

पुष्यादौ यस्त्रयोदश्यां कृत्वा नक्तं मधौ पुनः अशोकं काञ्चनं दद्याद् इक्षुयुक्तं दशाङ्गुलम् //

Transliteration

puṣyādau yastrayodaśyāṃ kṛtvā naktaṃ madhau punaḥ aśokaṃ kāñcanaṃ dadyād ikṣuyuktaṃ daśāṅgulam //

Translation

پُشیہ سے آغاز کرکے جو شخص تریودشی کو نکت ورت (صرف رات کا کھانا) کرے، وہ پھر بہار کے مدھو مہینے میں دس انگل ناپ کی گنے کے ساتھ سونے کا اشوک (شاخ/کونپل) دان کرے۔

Word by Word

• पुष्यादौ (puṣyādau): beginning with Puṣya (nakṣatra/auspicious starting point)

• यः (yaḥ): whoever

• त्रयोदश्याम् (trayodaśyām): on the thirteenth lunar day (Trayodaśī)

• कृत्वा (kṛtvā): having performed/observed

• नक्तम् (naktam): night-meal only (fasting by day)

• मधौ (madhau): in Madhu (spring month, often identified with Caitra)

• पुनः (punaḥ): again/thereafter

• अशोकम् (aśokam): an aśoka plant/sprig (Saraca asoca) or its representation

• काञ्चनम् (kāñcanam): made of gold/golden

• दद्यāt (dadyāt): should give (as a gift)

• इक्षुयुक्तम् (ikṣuyuktam): accompanied by sugarcane

• दशाङ्गुलम् (daśāṅgulam): of ten aṅgulas (ten finger-breadths) in length/measure.

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating Matsya Purāṇa’s vrata–dāna prescriptions; ultimately attributed to Lord Matsya’s teaching tradition)

Entities Mentioned

• Puṣya
• Trayodaśī
• Madhu (Caitra)
• Aśoka
• Ikṣu (sugarcane)

Tags

• Vrata
• Dana
• Trayodashi
• Nakshatra
• Seasonal rites

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it focuses on dharmic observance—fasting on Trayodaśī and giving a specific seasonal gift—showing how merit is cultivated through vrata and dāna rather than cosmology.

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

It gives a householder-style discipline: observe naktavrata (eating only at night) on Trayodaśī and perform dāna in Madhu (spring). Such regulated charity and self-restraint are presented in the Purāṇas as core duties supporting personal purity and social welfare.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it prescribes a nakṣatra/season-linked donation: a golden aśoka (symbol of auspiciousness and flourishing) accompanied by measured sugarcane (ikṣu), indicating that precise items and measures matter in Matsya Purāṇa’s dāna-vidhi.