Shloka 84

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

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

Devanagari script

मयूरत्वे ततः सा वै चकारानुगतं शुभा दत्तैः प्रतिक्षणं भोज्यैर् बाला तज्जातिभोजनैः

Transliteration

mayūratve tataḥ sā vai cakārānugataṃ śubhā dattaiḥ pratikṣaṇaṃ bhojyair bālā tajjātibhojanaiḥ

Translation

Then, having become a peahen, that auspicious young girl followed her new condition, being sustained at every moment by foods that were given—foods suited to that very species.

Word by Word

• मयूरत्वे: in the state of being a peacock
• मयूरत्वे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मयूरत्व (प्रातिपदिक; मयूर + त्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative: "in peacock-hood")

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kāla/Anantara (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रभव)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/अनन्तरम् अर्थे (adverb: "then/thereupon")

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम ("she")

• वै: indeed
• वै: Nipāta (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• चकार: did/made
• चकार: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; सकर्मक

• अनुगतम्: appropriate/following (its nature)
• अनुगतम्: Karma (Object complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुगत (प्रातिपदिक; अनु- + गम् + क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle, active sense); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying implied कर्म: "following/appropriate")

• शुभा: auspicious/virtuous
• शुभा: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (of सा)

• दत्तैः: with (things) given
• दत्तैः: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दत्त (प्रातिपदिक; दा + क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुल्लिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण (instrumental: "with given/provided")

• प्रतिक्षणम्: every moment
• प्रतिक्षणम्: Kāla (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रतिक्षणम् (अव्यय; प्रति + क्षण)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण ("at every moment")

• भोज्यैः: with foods
• भोज्यैः: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोज्य (प्रातिपदिक; भुज् + यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; करण (instrumental: "with foods")

• बाला: the girl/young woman
• बाला: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्ता (apposition to सा)

• तज्जातिभोजनैः: with foods of that species/kind
• तज्जातिभोजनैः: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् + जाति + भोजन (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; करण; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/सम्बन्ध: "of that kind" + "food")

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How embodied nature (jāti-dharma) conditions sustenance, behavior, and experience across births.

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: explanatory

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Each embodiment carries its own behavioral and nutritional constraints (jāti-bhojana), illustrating how karma binds the jīva to embodied patterns.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Notice how habits ‘feed’ identity; cultivate sāttvika inputs (food, impressions) to reshape tendencies over time.

Vishishtadvaita: The self’s agency operates through real body-mind instruments whose guṇas and jāti-conditionings are part of the Lord’s ordered prakṛti.

FAQs

What is the significance of transformation episodes like becoming a peahen in the Vishnu Purana?

They dramatize karmic consequence and the binding force of embodiment—how a jīva must live within the laws of nature and merit until release is attained.

How does Sage Parāśara explain adaptation to circumstance in this verse?

By showing that the girl, once transformed, is maintained through moment-by-moment provision of fitting food, implying an ordered cosmos where life proceeds according to its acquired condition.

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

Even without naming Vishnu directly, the verse assumes a governed universe—an implicit Vishnu-centric sovereignty where the cosmic order sustains beings according to their karma and nature.