Shloka 44

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

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

Devanagari script

देवादिनिःश्वासहतं शरीरं यस्य वेश्म च न तेन संकरं कुर्याद् गृहासनपरिच्छदैः

Transliteration

devādiniḥśvāsahataṃ śarīraṃ yasya veśma ca na tena saṃkaraṃ kuryād gṛhāsanaparicchadaiḥ

Translation

He whose body and dwelling have been tainted by the breath of devas and the like—one should not closely intermingle with him through household arrangements: seats, beds, and furnishings; purity is preserved by avoiding such improper mixing.

Word by Word

• देवादिनिःश्वासहतम्: struck/affected by the breath etc. of the gods
• देवादिनिःश्वासहतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + निःश्वास (प्रातिपदिक) + हत (कृदन्त; √हन् धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (instrumental/agent sense: 'struck by the breath etc. of gods')

• शरीरम्: body
• शरीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• वेश्म: house
• वेश्म: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेश्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• तेन: by/with that (person/thing)
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण (instrumental)

• संकरम्: mixing, contamination, improper association
• संकरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• कुर्यात्: should do/make
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person/प्रथम), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• गृहासनपरिच्छदैः: with house, seats, and furnishings
• गृहासनपरिच्छदैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक) + आसन (प्रातिपदिक) + परिच्छद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (copulative: 'house, seat, and furnishings')

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Rules of association and purity regarding those who neglect honoring devas/pitṛs/beings

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: strict, cautionary

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: One should avoid intimate domestic intermingling with those whose life is rendered impure by neglect of sacred obligations, lest one share in their saṃkara (defilement/moral mixing).

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Choose close companionship and shared spaces intentionally; keep daily disciplines that cultivate sattva and reverence.

Vishishtadvaita: Purity is framed as alignment with Bhagavān’s niyati (cosmic moral order), not mere social convention.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Devas (gods)

FAQs

What is the significance of saṅkara (improper mixing) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse treats saṅkara as a practical dharma concern: purity and right order are protected by avoiding indiscriminate intimacy and sharing of household spaces and furnishings with those deemed ritually compromised.

How does Sage Parāśara explain household discipline in this context?

Parāśara frames gṛhastha discipline as concrete behavior—association, seating, and shared domestic items—so that outer order supports inner steadiness and adherence to dharma.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Though Vishnu is not named in the line, the teaching serves Vaishnava dharma: sustaining cosmic order (dharma) in daily life is part of living under the sovereignty of the Supreme (Vishnu) who upholds the world’s harmony.