Shloka 1

मायामोह-प्रवर्तन, वेदमार्ग-बहिष्कार, तथा पाषण्ड-संसर्ग-दोषः

Māyāmoha’s Delusion, Rejection of the Vedic Path, and the Fault of Heretical Association

Devanagari script

तपस्य् अभिरतान् सो ऽथ मायामोहो महासुरान् मैत्रेय ददृशे गत्वा नर्मदातीरसंश्रयान्

Transliteration

tapasy abhiratān so 'tha māyāmoho mahāsurān maitreya dadṛśe gatvā narmadātīrasaṃśrayān

Translation

Then Māyāmoha—Delusion itself—went forth and beheld those mighty Asuras, O Maitreya, steadfast in austerities, dwelling along the banks of the Narmadā.

Word by Word

• तपसि: in austerity
• तपसि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• अभिरतान्: engaged (in)
• अभिरतान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभिरत (कृदन्त; अभि + √रम् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘engaged/delighting’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक निपात (then/now)

• मायामोहः: Māyāmoha
• मायामोहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया + मोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• महासुरान्: the great Asuras
• महासुरान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः

• मैत्रेय: O Maitreya
• मैत्रेय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैत्रेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• ददृशे: saw
• ददृशे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund) ‘having gone’

• नर्मदातीरसंश्रयान्: dwelling on the bank of the Narmadā
• नर्मदातीरसंश्रयान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नर्मदा + तीर + संश्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नर्मदायाः तीरम्; तस्य संश्रयः) बहुपद-समासः; ‘dwelling on the Narmadā’s bank’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Where Māyāmoha went and whom he confronted next.

Teaching: Historical

Quality: descriptive

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Tapas without right view can empower adharmic aims; discernment must accompany spiritual practice.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Pair discipline with sound guidance and ethical grounding; evaluate teachings by their fruits—humility, compassion, and dharma.

Vishishtadvaita: Power (śakti) gained through austerity remains within the Lord’s governance and must be oriented toward service of the whole (śeṣa-śeṣin relation).

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Characters & Entities

• Māyāmoha
• Maitreya
• Asuras
• Narmadā River

FAQs

What is the significance of Māyāmoha in the Vishnu Purana?

Māyāmoha personifies delusion—showing that even intense tapas can be diverted when it is not aligned with true dharma and the Supreme Lord’s order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of austerity (tapas) in this episode?

Parāśara frames the Asuras as deeply ascetic, yet vulnerable—implying that austerity alone is insufficient without right understanding and devotion oriented toward the highest truth.

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

The verse introduces the operation of māyā within Vishnu’s sovereignty: delusion functions under the Supreme Reality, shaping outcomes in the moral and cosmic order.