Shloka 83

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

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

Devanagari script

एवम् एव च काकत्वे स्मारितः स पुरातनम् तत्याज भूपतिः प्राणान् मयूरत्वम् अवाप च

Transliteration

evam eva ca kākatve smāritaḥ sa purātanam tatyāja bhūpatiḥ prāṇān mayūratvam avāpa ca

Translation

Thus, while in the state of a crow, he was made to remember the ancient truth; the king then cast off his life-breath and attained the condition of a peacock.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner: "thus")

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Nipāta (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (particle of emphasis: "indeed/just")

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction: "and")

• काकत्वे: in the state of being a crow
• काकत्वे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काकत्व (प्रातिपदिक; काक + त्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative: "in crow-hood/state of being a crow")

• स्मारितः: was reminded
• स्मारितः: Karta (Subject, in passive construction)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मारय् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे कर्तृस्थाने ("having been reminded")

• स: he
• स: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun: "he")

• पुरातनम्: the ancient (former state)
• पुरातनम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object: "the ancient [state/thing]"; here understood as former condition/birth)

• तत्याज: abandoned/left
• तत्याज: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; सकर्मक

• भूपतिः: the king
• भूपतिः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूपति (प्रातिपदिक; भू + पति)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्ता (agent: "the king")

• प्राणान्: his life-breaths (life)
• प्राणान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्म (object: "life-breaths")

• मयूरत्वम्: the state of being a peacock
• मयूरत्वम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मयूरत्व (प्रातिपदिक; मयूर + त्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म (object: "peacock-hood/state of being a peacock")

• अवाप: attained/obtained
• अवाप: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु) उपसर्ग: अव-
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; सकर्मक

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Karmic causality and rebirth across species (yoni-parivartana) and the role of smṛti (remembering) in transmigration.

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The jīva, impelled by karma, can shift embodiments, and the awakening of memory of prior truth precipitates renunciation of the present body.

Vedantic Theme: Atman

Application: Reflect daily on impermanence and karmic consequence to loosen identification with the current role/body.

Vishishtadvaita: Embodiment changes while the enduring self remains a dependent mode (śeṣa) under the Lord’s governance, making detachment intelligible within real plurality.

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• King (bhūpati)
• Crow (kāka)
• Peacock (mayūra)

FAQs

What is the significance of remembering the past (purātanam) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

The verse presents remembrance as a catalytic moment: once the king is “made to remember” an ancient truth while in an altered birth, the momentum of that life ends and a new embodiment is attained—highlighting karmic continuity and the power of awakened memory.

How does Sage Parāśara explain karmic transition in the dynasty narratives?

In the Vamsha sections, Parāśara frames royal history as governed by Dharma and karma: identities may shift across births, yet moral causality persists, and narrative “reminders” reveal the underlying continuity of the soul’s journey.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Vishnu Purana’s worldview assumes a divinely ordered cosmos: transmigration and its consequences operate within Vishnu’s sovereign order, where Dharma and karmic law are upheld as expressions of the Supreme Reality.