Shloka 13

Devanagari script

पितृपुत्रसुहृद्भ्रातृमातृबन्धुमयीम् इमाम् यन्मायां नालम् उत्तर्तुं जगत् तस्मै नमो नमः

Transliteration

pitṛputrasuhṛdbhrātṛmātṛbandhumayīm imām yanmāyāṃ nālam uttartuṃ jagat tasmai namo namaḥ

Translation

Obeisance again and again to Him—whose Māyā this world cannot cross—this Māyā that takes the form of father and son, friend and brother, mother and kin, binding beings in the very fabric of relationship.

Word by Word

• पितृपुत्रसुहृद्भ्रातृमातृबन्धुमयीम्: consisting of father, son, friend, brother, mother, and kin
• पितृपुत्रसुहृद्भ्रातृमातृबन्धुमयीम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पितृ + पुत्र + सुहृद् + भ्रातृ + मातृ + बन्धु + मयी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुपद-समासः (…मयी = ‘consisting of/filled with’), ‘इमाम्/मायाम्’ इति विशेषणम्

• इमाम्: this
• इमाम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘मायाम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• यत्: whose/which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relational)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative) — ‘यस्य’ अर्थे प्रयोगः (छान्दस/पाठभेदसम्भव)

• मायाम्: illusion, māyā
• मायाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध/negation particle)

• अलम्: able, sufficient
• अलम्: Śakti-bhāva (Ability)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अलम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (असमर्थ्य/पर्याप्ति; ‘able/sufficient’)

• उत्तर्तुम्: to cross over
• उत्तर्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत् + तॄ (धातु) + तुमुन् (कृदन्त)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive)

• जगत्: the world
• जगत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तस्मै: to him
• तस्मै: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha (Salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: अव्ययप्राय (नमस्कारार्थक indeclinable usage)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha (Salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: अव्ययप्राय (पुनरुक्ति emphatic)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya within a devotional-philosophical exposition)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Worldly relational identities—father, son, friend, kin—are modes of māyā that bind beings and are difficult to transcend without divine grace and discernment.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Practice discerning attachment from duty: honor relationships ethically while reducing possessiveness through remembrance and surrender to the Lord.

Vishishtadvaita: Māyā is a real binding power within the Lord’s order; liberation is not denial of relations but freedom from possessive identification through surrender.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Maya
• Jagat (the world)

FAQs

What is the significance of Māyā as family-bondage in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse portrays Māyā as the very network of relational identities—family and kinship—through which the world becomes bound, showing that attachment itself can function as a divine veil.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the difficulty of crossing Māyā?

He states that the jagat is not capable of crossing the Lord’s Māyā on its own, implying that liberation requires turning toward the Supreme (Vishnu) rather than relying solely on worldly supports.

What is Lord Vishnu’s theological importance in this context?

Vishnu is affirmed as the transcendent sovereign whose Māyā governs worldly experience; repeated salutations indicate that refuge in Him is the path beyond bondage.