Matsyapurana 55

English (machine translation) 55

Language: English

55.1

Nārada said: / For one unable to observe fasts but desiring that very fruit, / whether due to lack of practice or due to sickness, what excellent vow is prescribed?

55.2

The Lord said: / For those who are unable to fast, an evening meal is prescribed. / Hear now about that great, imperishable vow in which this is allowed.

55.3

It is named Ādityaśayana, the proper worship of Śaṅkara / on specific conjunctions of asterisms, as declared by those learned in the Purāṇas.

55.4

When a Sunday coincides with the seventh lunar day under the Hasta asterism, / or when there is a solar transit (saṃkrānti), that lunar day fulfills all desires.

55.5

One should worship an image of Umā and Maheśvara with the names of the Sun; / for one worships the image of the Sun while performing it on the Śiva-liṅga.

55.6

No difference is seen anywhere between the Lord of Umā and the Sun; / therefore, O best of sages, one should worship Śambhu in the house.

Under Hasta, with: 'Homage to the Sun,' the two feet [are worshipped]; under Citrā, the ankle region with: 'To Arka'; / under Svātī, the shanks with: 'To Puruṣottama'; under Viśākhā, the knee region with: 'To Dhātṛ';

55.8

similarly, under Anurādhā, the two thighs of the Thousand-Rayed One should be worshipped; / under Jyeṣṭhā, the private parts with: 'Homage to the Bodiless One'; and under Mūla, the waist with: 'To Indra and Soma';

55.9

under the pair of Pūrvāṣāḍhā and Uttarāṣāḍhā, the navel with: 'Homage to Tvaṣṭṛ, to him of the seven waves'; / under Śravaṇa, the belly with: 'To the Sharp-Rayed One'; under Dhaniṣṭhā, the back with: 'To the Sun (Vikartana)';

55.10

under the asterism of the lord of waters (Śatabhiṣaj), the eye region should be worshipped with: 'To the Destroyer of Darkness'; / and under the pair of Pūrvabhādrapadā and Uttarabhādrapadā, the two arms should be worshipped with: 'Homage to the Fierce-Rayed One';

55.11

under Revatī, O twice-born one, the two hands should be worshipped with: 'To the Lord of the Sāman hymns'; / likewise, under Aśvinī, the nails should be worshipped with: 'Homage to the Bearer of the yoke of the seven horses';

55.12

under Bharaṇī, the throat should be worshipped with: 'To the One of Harsh Splendor, to the Maker of Day'; / under the fire asterism (Kṛttikā), the neck; and under Rohiṇī, O Nārada, one should worship the lower lip with: 'To the Lord of the Lotus';

55.13

under Mṛgaśīrṣa, the teeth of Murāri should be worshipped with: 'Homage to Hari, obeisance to you'; / under Ārdrā, the tongue with: 'Homage to Savitṛ'; and under Punarvasu, the nose should be worshipped with: 'To Śaṅkara';

55.14

under Puṣya, the forehead with: 'To the Beloved of the Lotus'; the locks of hair with: 'To the Bearer of the Body of the Vedas'; / under the serpent asterism (Āśleṣā), the crown of the head with: 'To the Beloved of the Gods'; and under Maghā, the two ears with: 'To the Lord of the herds of cows';

55.15

under Pūrvaphalgunī, the eyes of Śambhu are most worthy of worship with: 'To the One Venerated by Cows and Brahmins'; / and under the asterism Uttaraphalgunī, the eyebrows should be worshipped with: 'To the Lord of the Universe';

55.16

[reciting:] 'Homage to the bearer of the noose, the goad, the trident, the lotus, the skull-bowl, the serpent, the crescent moon, and the bow; / homage to Śiva, the cause of the destruction of Gajāsura, the Bodiless One, the Three Cities, Andhaka, and others.'

55.17

Having constantly worshipped these weapons and others with 'To the Lord of the Universe,' Śiva should be worshipped. / In this rite, one should eat vegetable food without oil, meat, or salt, which is not leftover food.

55.18

Having thus observed the evening-meal fasts, O twice-born one, one should give under Punarvasu / a prastha of rice grains along with ghee in a vessel made of Udumbara wood;

55.19

having placed it in the vessel, he should present it to a Brahmin along with gold. / At the seventh break of the fast, a pair of garments should be given additionally.

55.20

When the fourteenth fast-breaking arrives at the completion of a year, O Nārada, / he should feed Brahmins with devotion with jaggery, milk, ghee, and other dishes.

55.21

Having fashioned an eight-petalled golden lotus with a pericarp, / pure, measuring eight finger-breadths, and fitted with ruby petals,

55.22

and having made an exquisite bed free of defective joints, / equipped with pillows, a bolster, a good mattress, and fans,

55.23

endowed with vessels, sandals, an umbrella, a chowrie, a seat, and a mirror, / and with ornaments, fruits, clothes, and unguents.

55.24

Having placed that lotus upon it, adornment-worthy and possessing [auspicious] qualities, / [one should present] a tawny cow clothed in garments, well-behaved and yielding milk,

55.25

with silver hooves, golden horns, accompanied by her calf and a bronze milking vessel; / one should give [her] in the forenoon with the mantra, and should not overstep this [rite]:

55.26

“Just as the bed of the Sun is never empty for you, / along with beauty, fortitude, splendour, and delight, so may my accomplishments be!

55.27

Just as the gods know no other sinless one superior to you, / so deliver me from the ocean of worldly existence full of boundless sorrow!”

55.28

Then, having circumambulated and bowed down, he should dismiss [the deity]; / he should convey that entire bed, cow, and other items to the dwelling of the twice-born.

55.29

This vow of the Moon-Crested God should not be disclosed to the ill-behaved, nor to the hypocrite, / nor to one corrupt with false reasoning, nor to the reviler, nor to him who indulges in excessive slander.

55.30

This secret, causing the joy of Śiva, should be spoken to a devotee and to the self-controlled; / the knowers of the Veda declare that even a single syllable of this destroys the great sins of men.

55.31

He is not separated from kinsmen, sons, wives, or wealth, bringing joy to the gods; / nor does he encounter disease, sorrow, or grief; or the woman who performs it with utmost devotion [attains the same].

55.32

In ancient times this was performed by Vasiṣṭha, Arjuna, Kubera, and Puraṃdara; / through its recitation alone all sins go to destruction; of this there is no doubt.

55.33

Whoever reads or hears of this bed of the Sun in this manner becomes dear to Puruhūta; / and he who performs it here brings even all his ancestors who have gone to hell to heaven.

Translations (1)

The Matsya Puranam — A Taluqdar of Oudh 1916, English

Linked texts (1)

Matsyapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit