Shloka 14

स्वर्गगमनम्, अदितिस्तुतिः-मायातत्त्वम्, तथा पारिजात-प्रसङ्गे इन्द्रयुद्धम्

Devanagari script

माया तवेयम् अज्ञातपरमार्थातिमोहिनी अनात्मन्य् आत्मविज्ञानं यया मूढो निरुध्यते

Transliteration

māyā taveyam ajñātaparamārthātimohinī anātmany ātmavijñānaṃ yayā mūḍho nirudhyate

Translation

This is Your māyā—an overpowering deluder of those who do not know the highest truth—by which the bewildered are held fast, mistaking the not-Self for true Self-knowledge.

Word by Word

• माया: illusion, māyā
• माया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• इयम्: this
• इयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; निर्देश (demonstrative)

• अज्ञातपरमार्थातिमोहिनी: greatly deluding due to ignorance of the highest truth
• अज्ञातपरमार्थातिमोहिनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अज्ञात + परमार्थ + अति + मोहिनी (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (परमार्थस्य अज्ञातत्वेन अति-मोहिनी) विशेषणम्

• अनात्मनि: in the non-self
• अनात्मनि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• आत्मविज्ञानम्: knowledge of the self
• आत्मविज्ञानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् + विज्ञान (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ātmanaḥ vijñānam)

• यया: by which
• यया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सूचक (relative pronoun)

• मूढः: the deluded one
• मूढः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूढ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; मुह् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

• निरुध्यते: is restrained/blocked
• निरुध्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-रुध् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya, describing the binding power of Vishnu’s māyā)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Viṣṇu’s māyā powerfully deludes those ignorant of paramārtha, producing the error of taking the non-Self as Self-knowledge.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Cultivate paramārtha-jñāna through śāstra study and disciplined reflection to detect and undo self-misidentification in thoughts like “this body/mind is me.”

Vishishtadvaita: Māyā is a real divine śakti of the Lord that obscures true knowledge for the ignorant, while remaining under His sovereignty—aligning with Viṣṇu as transcendent controller of prakṛti.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Maya
• Paramartha

FAQs

What is the significance of māyā in this Vishnu Purana verse?

Māyā is presented as Vishnu’s power that deeply deludes those who do not know the highest truth, causing them to remain bound in mistaken identity and perception.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the confusion between Self and non-Self here?

He states that deluded beings are restrained by māyā into treating the non-Self (body, mind, world) as though it were genuine Self-knowledge, which blocks realization of the paramārtha.

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

Vishnu is implied as the Supreme Reality whose own māyā governs delusion; liberation depends on turning from māyā-born misidentification toward knowledge aligned with Vishnu as the highest truth.