Shloka 41

मायामोह-प्रवर्तन, वेदमार्ग-बहिष्कार, तथा पाषण्ड-संसर्ग-दोषः

Māyāmoha’s Delusion, Rejection of the Vedic Path, and the Fault of Heretical Association

Devanagari script

संवत्सरं क्रियाहानिर् यस्य पुंसो ऽभिजायते तस्यावलोकनात् सूर्यो निरीक्ष्यः साधुभिः सदा

Transliteration

saṃvatsaraṃ kriyāhānir yasya puṃso 'bhijāyate tasyāvalokanāt sūryo nirīkṣyaḥ sādhubhiḥ sadā

Translation

إذا وقع لرجلٍ انقطاعٌ في الواجبات المقدسة دام سنةً كاملة، فبمجرد رؤيته ينبغي للصالحين أن يوجّهوا نظرهم إلى الشمس دائمًا، استحضارًا للطهارة.

Word by Word

संवत्सरम्for a year

क्रियाहानिःomission of rites

यस्यof whom

पुंसःof a man

अभिजायतेarises/comes about

तस्यof him

अवलोकनात्from seeing (him)

सूर्यःthe sun

निरीक्ष्यःshould be looked at

साधुभिःby the good (people)

सदाalways

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Characters & Entities

Surya (Sun-god)

Sadhus (the righteous)

FAQs

What is the significance of looking at the Sun (Sūrya) in the Vishnu Purana?

In this verse, Sūrya functions as a purifying, dharma-witnessing presence; after encountering severe neglect of duties, the righteous restore inner and outer purity by turning to the Sun as a symbol of ṛta and moral order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the response to a prolonged lapse in religious duties (kriyā-hāni)?

Parāśara treats a year-long lapse as spiritually contaminating; upon contact (even by sight), one should immediately perform a purificatory countermeasure—here, reverent Sūrya-darśana—reflecting the Purana’s emphasis on maintaining dharma through practical observances.

What is the theological importance of Vishnu in this context, even though he is not named in the verse?

The verse presumes a Vishnu-centered cosmos where dharma sustains the world; Sūrya, as a cosmic regulator, operates within Vishnu’s sovereign order, so restoring purity through such acts ultimately supports devotion and alignment with the Supreme Reality upheld by Vishnu.