Shloka 18
Aditi’s Lament and Kaśyapa’s Instruction of the Payo-vrata (Milk Vow) to Please Keśava
श्रीशुक उवाच एवमभ्यर्थितोऽदित्या कस्तामाह स्मयन्निव । अहो मायाबलं विष्णो: स्नेहबद्धमिदं जगत् ॥ १८ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca evam abhyarthito ’dityā kas tām āha smayann iva aho māyā-balaṁ viṣṇoḥ sneha-baddham idaṁ jagat
Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Thus entreated by Aditi, Kaśyapa Muni smiled slightly and said, “Alas, how powerful is Lord Viṣṇu’s māyā, by which the whole world is bound by affection for children!”
Kaśyapa Muni was surely sympathetic to his wife’s affliction, yet he was surprised at how the whole world is influenced by affection.
FAQs
This verse states that Lord Viṣṇu’s māyā is so powerful that the world becomes bound by sneha—deep affection and attachment—making conditioned life feel compelling and inescapable.
Because he perceived the astonishing play of Viṣṇu’s māyā: even saintly persons within divine narratives become drawn into family affection, which the Lord later uses to fulfill His own purpose (here, preparing for Vāmana’s appearance).
Recognize how attachment shapes decisions, then consciously redirect affection toward service and remembrance of Viṣṇu—turning binding attachment into devotional commitment.