Shloka 13
ध्रुवस्य तपः — देवमायाविघ्नाः, विष्णोर्दर्शनम्, स्तुतिः, ध्रुवस्थानप्रदानम्
कूष्माण्डा विविधै रूपैर् महेन्द्रेण महामुने समाधिभङ्गम् अत्यन्तम् आरब्धाः कर्तुम् आतुराः
kūṣmāṇḍā vividhai rūpair mahendreṇa mahāmune samādhibhaṅgam atyantam ārabdhāḥ kartum āturāḥ
O great sage, urged on by Mahendra, the Kūṣmāṇḍas assumed many forms and, with fierce intensity, set about shattering the steadiness of his samādhi.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How the devas deployed māyā and fear to disrupt Dhruva’s samādhi
Teaching: Devotional
Quality: revealing
Concept: Māyā can manifest as frightening or alluring appearances to break samādhi; the sādhaka must discern and remain fixed.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: When anxiety, fantasies, or intrusive images arise in practice, label them as transient and return to japa/dhyāna.
Vishishtadvaita: Illusion is treated as a power that can be deployed within the world, yet is ultimately subordinate to the devotee’s God-centered resolve and the Lord’s grace.
FAQs
This verse highlights a recurring Purāṇic motif: powerful tapas and absorption can unsettle cosmic balances, prompting celestial forces to attempt distractions—thereby testing the yogin’s steadiness.
Parāśara presents Mahendra as instigating external interruptions through subordinate beings; the narrative frames Indra’s anxiety over ascetic power as a catalyst for trials rather than as ultimate authority.
Even when devas act to preserve their order, the Purāṇa’s larger theology situates all powers within Vishnu’s supreme governance—implying that true spiritual realization ultimately transcends such disturbances.