Shloka 14

नरक-निर्णयः, पाप-कर्म-फल-व्यवस्था, प्रायश्चित्त-क्रमः, तथा हरि-स्मरण-परमत्वम्

Devanagari script

चौरो विमोहे पतति मर्यादादूषकस् तथा

Transliteration

cauro vimohe patati maryādādūṣakas tathā

Translation

A thief falls into delusion; and so too does one who corrupts the bounds of right conduct (maryādā).

Word by Word

• चौरः: a thief
• चौरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चौर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विमोहे: in delusion (a hell/region named Vimoha)
• विमोहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विमोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative singular)

• पतति: falls/goes
• पतति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (Active)

• मर्यादादूषकः: a violator of propriety
• मर्यादादूषकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्यादा + दूषक (दूष् धातु, ण्वुल्/क)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—मर्यादायाः दूषकः (violator of boundaries/ethics)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: likewise/also)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How specific breaches of social order (theft, maryādā-bhaṅga) mature into delusion and punitive realms

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: pithy

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Stealing and corrupting maryādā (normative boundaries of conduct) lead to ‘vimoha’—a karmic state of delusion that obscures right discernment.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice honesty and protect communal norms; when tempted to rationalize wrongdoing, pause and restore clarity through satsanga and self-audit.

Vishishtadvaita: Maryādā is part of the Lord’s niyati (governing order); undermining it deepens avidyā-like delusion that blocks loving surrender.

FAQs

What is the significance of maryādā (rightful boundaries) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse treats maryādā as the protective line of dharma; to damage it is not a minor fault but a cause of collective disorder and personal delusion, especially emphasized in Kali-yuga descriptions.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the spread of adharma in Kali-yuga here?

By linking wrongdoing to vimoha (delusion): the thief and the corrupter of social norms both “fall” inwardly, and that inner fall becomes the seed of outward collapse of conduct and trust.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Kali-yuga is portrayed as moral confusion and boundary-breaking, the Vishnu Purana frames dharma as rooted in the Supreme order upheld by Vishnu—implying that restoration and refuge ultimately depend on alignment with that higher reality.