Shloka 33

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

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

Devanagari script

इत्थम् उन्मार्गयातेषु तेषु दैत्येषु ते ऽमराः उद्योगं परमं कृत्वा युद्धाय समुपस्थिताः

Transliteration

ittham unmārgayāteṣu teṣu daityeṣu te 'marāḥ udyogaṃ paramaṃ kṛtvā yuddhāya samupasthitāḥ

Translation

Thus, when those Daityas strayed from the righteous path and fell into lawlessness, the immortal Devas, mustering their utmost resolve, came forth fully prepared for war.

Word by Word

• इत्थम्: thus, in this manner
• इत्थम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इत्थम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb)

• उन्मार्गयातेषु: among those who had gone to the wrong path
• उन्मार्गयातेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उन्मार्ग-यात (कृदन्त; √या धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; कृदन्त-भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘यात’ = gone; समासः उन्मार्गे याताः (सप्तमीबहुवचन)

• तेषु: among them
• तेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन

• दैत्येषु: among the Daityas (demons)
• दैत्येषु: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• अमराः: the immortals (gods)
• अमराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• उद्योगम्: effort, undertaking
• उद्योगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उद्योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• परमम्: supreme, utmost
• परमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (उद्योगम्)

• कृत्वा: having done/made
• कृत्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• युद्धाय: for battle
• युद्धाय: Sampradāna/Purpose (Dative of purpose/प्रयोजन-चतुर्थी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन

• समुपस्थिताः: assembled, came forward
• समुपस्थिताः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उप-√स्था (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; ‘समुपस्थित’ = having approached/assembled

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When beings abandon the right path (sanmārga), the guardians of order must exert themselves to restrain adharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Treat ethical drift in oneself and society as requiring disciplined, collective effort rather than complacency.

Vishishtadvaita: Dharma is upheld as the Lord’s ordinance in the cosmos, with devas functioning as instruments of that governance.

Characters & Entities

• Devas (Amarāḥ)
• Daityas

FAQs

What is the significance of the Daityas ‘going off the right path’ in the Vishnu Purana?

Their deviation (unmārga) signals a breakdown of dharma, prompting the Devas to act so that cosmic order and rightful governance can be restored.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Devas’ response to adharma here?

Parāśara presents the Devas as taking decisive, unified effort (udyoga) when disorder intensifies—an archetypal pattern of corrective action within the Purāṇic moral universe.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Devas’ defense of dharma functions within Vishnu’s overarching sovereignty as the preserver of cosmic order in the Vishnu Purana’s worldview.