Matsyapurana 68

English (machine translation) 68

Language: English

68.1

Nārada said: / What must be done in case of terrifying portents? By what is misfortune destroyed? / And what is prescribed for the rites of consecration for a woman whose children have died?

68.2

The Holy Lord said: / Sins committed in the past bear fruit in this life, O ascetic, / in the form of disease, poverty, and likewise the loss of loved ones.

68.3

For its counteraction, I shall describe that which always brings about auspiciousness, / called the Seventh-Day Ablution, which destroys the afflictions of people.

68.4

Where the death of children who are still drinking milk is seen, / and likewise of the elderly, the sick, and even those in their youth,

68.5

for peace there I shall describe the bath for a woman whose children have died; / this very rite destroys portentous distress and bewilderment of the mind.

68.6

Where the Vārāha Kalpa will come to be, O ascetic, / and there also, when Manu Vaivasvata, the best [of Manus],

68.7

will be, and in that very [epoch] when the twenty-fifth / yuga named Kṛta arrives, there a valiant, majestic king / named Kṛtavīrya will appear, increasing the lineage of the Haihayas.

68.8

He will rule the entire earth of seven continents / for seventy-seven thousand years, O Nārada.

68.9

And as soon as they are born, as many as a hundred sons of his / will go to destruction by the curse of Cyavana.

68.10

And when a thousand-armed son of his is born, / deer-eyed, glorious, endowed with the marks of kingship,

68.11

then Kṛtavīrya, having worshipped the thousand-rayed sun / with fasts, divine vows, and Vedic hymns, O Nārada, / will obtain this bath sufficient for his son’s survival.

68.12

Questioned by Kṛtavīrya, the Sun will say this, / which pacifies all evils and constantly destroys impurities.

68.13

Sūrya said: / Enough of great distress, O ruler of men! Your son / will be long-lived; but [listen to that which] destroys impurity:

I shall explain the Seventh-Day Ablution for the welfare of all people. / When a child is born to a woman whose children have died, in the seventh month, O Nārada, / or on the seventh day of the bright fortnight, all this is commended.

68.15

Having obtained the strength of planets and lunar mansions and arranged the recitation of blessings by Brahmins, / the wise person should avoid the child's birth star and that lunar day; / likewise for the elderly, the sick, and other persons, this rite should be performed.

68.16

Then, on ground smeared with cow dung, as at a single fire, / one should offer a caru cooked with red rice and cow’s milk / to Sūrya and Rudra according to the rules, using their respective mantras.

68.17

He should recite the seven-verse hymn sacred to Sūrya and offer oblations of ghee; / likewise, O Nārada, he should sacrifice to Rudra with the Rudrasūkta.

68.18

Here sticks of firewood of arka and palāśa should also be offered; / an oblation should then be made one hundred and eight times with barley and black sesame seeds.

68.19

Then, an oblation of ghee should be offered one hundred and eight times with the Vyāhṛtis; / having made the offerings, the auspicious bath must be performed by which wise person

68.20

— assisted by a Brahmin learned in the Vedas, with darbha grass in hand according to rule — / who sets down four beautiful jars at the corners.

68.21

And in the center he should place a fifth flawless jar, / decorated with curd and unbroken rice, consecrated with the seven-verse hymn,

68.22

filled with sacred water addressed to Sūrya and containing jewels. / All [the jars] should be provided with all herbs, accompanied by the five products of the cow, / and wrapped with cloths, having the five gems, fruits, and flowers.

68.23

Having brought pure earth from an elephant, a horse, a chariot road, an anthill, / a river confluence, a lake, and a cow-pen, he should throw it into all of them.

68.24

Taking the middle jar from among the four jars which also contain jewels within, / the Brahmin there should utter the solar mantras.

68.25

And here, by seven women whose limbs are unblemished, / honored according to one's means with garlands, garments, and ornaments, / accompanied by Brahmins, the bath of the woman whose children have died should be performed.

68.26

‘May this boy be long-lived, and may the fair lady have living children! / May Sūrya and the moon, together with the hosts of planets and lunar mansions,

68.27

and the world protectors headed by Śakra, as well as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara — / may they and the other hosts of deities always protect the boy!

68.28

May Mitra, Śani, or fire, and whatever evil spirits seize children anywhere, / not cause torment to the child, nor to his mother or father!’

68.29

Then, clad in white garments, accompanied by the boy and her husband, / she should devoutly worship the assembly of seven women, and then the guru.

68.30

And then she should make a golden image of the King of Dharma / placed on a copper vessel, and present it to the guru.

68.31

With heaps of garments, gold, and jewels, and with edible foods accompanied by ghee and milk rice, / he should likewise honor the Brahmins, free from deceit regarding wealth.

68.32

And having eaten, this succession of mantras is to be recited by the guru: / ‘May this boy have a long life, happy for up to a hundred years!

68.33

Whatever sin he has, may it be cast into the submarine fire! / May Brahmā, Rudra, the Vasu, Skanda, Viṣṇu, Śakra, and the fire deity

68.34

protect him from wicked beings and always grant boons!’ / While he utters these and other words, one should worship the guru.

68.35

According to one's ability, one should give a brown cow, bow down, and dismiss him. / Accompanied by her son, bowing to Sūrya and Śaṅkara,

68.36

she should then eat the remnant of the oblation, saying, ‘Homage to Āditya!’ / This alone is praised amidst portents, distress, and bad dreams.

68.37

Having avoided the performer's birth star day, one should always worship; / on the bright seventh lunar day for the sake of pacification, doing this, one does not suffer.

68.38

Through this constant rite, the man attained long life, / and he ruled this earth for ten thousand years.

68.39

Having explained the sacred, purifying bath of the seventh day, which bestows longevity, / the Sun vanished right there, O best of the twice-born.

68.40

All this has been related: the supreme bath of the seventh lunar day, / the pacifier of all evil, the highest welfare of children.

68.41

One should desire health from Bhāskara, wealth from the sacrificial fire, / knowledge from Īśvara, and liberation from Janārdana.

68.42

This destroys grave sins, is supreme welfare, and causes children to thrive; / and whoever hears it with undivided mind, the sages say that he too attains success.

Translations (1)

The Matsya Puranam — A Taluqdar of Oudh 1916, English

Linked texts (1)

Matsyapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit