Shloka 22
The Account of Mohinī (Mohinī-kathanam): Ekādaśī Nirṇaya, Daśamī Boundary, and Aruṇodaya
प्रांते स्थिता सूर्यविहीनसंज्ञे काले दशम्या जनमोहनाय । कृच्छ्रांतरूपा च दिनं च भुंक्ते प्रकृष्टरूपा नरकाय नॄणाम् ॥ २२ ॥
prāṃte sthitā sūryavihīnasaṃjñe kāle daśamyā janamohanāya | kṛcchrāṃtarūpā ca dinaṃ ca bhuṃkte prakṛṣṭarūpā narakāya nṝṇām || 22 ||
Stationed at the boundary, in the time known as “sunless,” on the tenth lunar day (Daśamī) she appears to delude people. Taking on a distressing form, she consumes the day; and in a more intensified form she becomes a cause of hell for human beings.
Narada (teaching in a vrata/phala discourse; traditional dialogue context with Sanatkumara brothers)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
FAQs
It warns that certain inauspicious time-conditions and improper conduct around specific tithis can create delusion (moha) and lead to painful consequences, framed as a movement toward naraka (hellish suffering).
Bhakti is protected by discipline: the verse implies that devotion must be paired with correct observance and alertness against moha, since negligence in vrata-related timing and conduct can undermine spiritual life.
It reflects Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa-style timekeeping: attention to tithi (Daśamī), auspicious/inauspicious kāla, and ritual scheduling—practical calendrical knowledge used to guide vows and religious observances.