Shloka 107
दुर्वासाशापः, क्षीरसागरमन्थनम्, श्रीः (लक्ष्मी) उद्भवः तथा श्रीस्तुतिः
मायया मोहयित्वा तान् विष्णुः स्त्रीरूपम् आस्थितः दानवेभ्यस् तद् आदाय देवेभ्यः प्रददौ विभुः
māyayā mohayitvā tān viṣṇuḥ strīrūpam āsthitaḥ dānavebhyas tad ādāya devebhyaḥ pradadau vibhuḥ
Bewildering them by His own māyā, Viṣṇu assumed the form of a woman, took the nectar from the Dānavas, and the all-pervading Lord bestowed it upon the Devas.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How the Devas obtained amṛta despite the Daityas’ seizure
Teaching: Devotional
Quality: revealing
Purpose: To protect the Devas’ rightful share of amṛta and preserve cosmic order by preventing the Dānavas from gaining immortality through deceit.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Restoration of divine sovereignty and the proper distribution of the churning’s fruits
Concept: The Lord’s māyā, wielded in compassion for dharma, can overturn brute force and protect the divine order.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: When confronted by injustice, rely on dharma and divine refuge rather than mere aggression; cultivate discernment against delusion.
Vishishtadvaita: Viṣṇu is both transcendent ruler and immanent strategist; māyā is His śakti, not an independent principle, used to uphold dharma.
Vishnu Form: Narayana
Vyuha Form: Aniruddha
FAQs
This verse presents Mohinī (Vishnu’s woman-form) as a deliberate manifestation of divine māyā used to protect dharma—ensuring amṛta goes to the Devas rather than the Dānavas.
Parāśara depicts māyā not as mere illusion but as Vishnu’s sovereign power to regulate events in the cosmos—bewildering the unrighteous and securing the intended moral order.
Vishnu is shown as Vibhu—the all-pervading Supreme—who actively intervenes through form and strategy to uphold cosmic balance, revealing His supremacy over both Devas and Dānavas.