Matsya Purana — Rites for Consecrating and Celebrating Trees, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

ततः शुक्लाम्बरधरां सौवर्णकृतभूषणाम् सकांस्यदोहां सौवर्णशृङ्गाभ्याम् अतिशालिनीम् पयस्विनीं वृक्षमध्याद् उत्सृजेद्गामुदङ्मुखीम् //

Transliteration

tataḥ śuklāmbaradharāṃ sauvarṇakṛtabhūṣaṇām sakāṃsyadohāṃ sauvarṇaśṛṅgābhyām atiśālinīm payasvinīṃ vṛkṣamadhyād utsṛjedgāmudaṅmukhīm //

Translation

Bấy giờ, từ khoảng trống giữa các cây, nên thả ra một con bò cho sữa—dồi dào, béo tốt—khoác vải trắng, trang sức bằng vàng, có bình vắt sữa bằng đồng, và hai sừng bọc vàng, quay mặt về phương Bắc.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereafter

• śukla-ambara-dharām: wearing white cloth

• sauvarṇa-kṛta-bhūṣaṇām: adorned with ornaments made of gold

• sa-kāṃsya-dohām: together with a bronze (kāṃsya) milking-vessel/pail

• sauvarṇa-śṛṅgābhyām: having (both) horns gilded/covered with gold

• ati-śālinīm: very thriving/prosperous, well-conditioned

• payasvinīm: milk-giving, lactating

• vṛkṣa-madhyāt: from between/in the midst of trees

• utsṛjet: one should release/let go (ritually set free)

• gām: the cow

• udaṅ-mukhīm: facing north.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (teaching Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Lord Matsya
• Vaivasvata Manu
• Gau (Cow)

Tags

• Dāna
• Gau-dāna
• Ritual procedure
• Auspicious directions
• Puranic dharma

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe Pralaya; it gives a dharmic ritual instruction for gau-dāna, focusing on auspicious preparation, placement, and north-facing orientation.

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

It prescribes an ideal, merit-producing form of charity: offering a healthy, milk-yielding cow properly honored with cloth and gold, reflecting the householder/kingly duty to uphold dharma through regulated gifts (dāna).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, the cow is released from a defined sacred space (between trees) and oriented north (udaṅmukhī), highlighting directional auspiciousness and prescribed staging of the donation rite.