Shloka 11

अविद्याबीज-निरूपणं, योगस्वरूप-उपदेशः, मूर्तहरिधारणा-समाधि, जनकवंशीय-राजर्षिसंवादः

Devanagari script

अनात्मन्य् आत्मबुद्धिर् या अस्वे स्वम् इति या मतिः अविद्यातरुसंभूतिबीजम् एतद् द्विधा स्थितम्

Transliteration

anātmany ātmabuddhir yā asve svam iti yā matiḥ avidyātarusaṃbhūtibījam etad dvidhā sthitam

Translation

The delusion that sees the Self in what is not the Self, and the notion that claims as “mine” what is not one’s own—this is the seed of the tree of ignorance, abiding in a twofold form.

Word by Word

• अनात्मनि: in the non-self
• अनात्मनि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative of place/condition)

• आत्मबुद्धिः: the notion of self
• आत्मबुद्धिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (आत्मनः बुद्धिः)

• या: which
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• अस्वे: in what is not one’s own
• अस्वे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• स्वम्: one’s own (as ‘mine’)
• स्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विधेय/उपपद (as predicative/quoted content)

• इति: thus, ‘as’
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/निगमनार्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• या: which
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• मतिः: the idea, opinion
• मतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• अविद्यातरुसंभूतिबीजम्: the seed of the arising of the tree of ignorance
• अविद्यातरुसंभूतिबीजम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविद्या (प्रातिपदिक) + तरु (प्रातिपदिक) + संभूति (प्रातिपदिक) + बीज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (अविद्या-तरु-सम्भूतेः बीजम्)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• द्विधा: in two ways
• द्विधा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: द्विधा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner: ‘in two ways’)

• स्थितम्: is situated/exists
• स्थितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विधेय (predicative)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Nature and root of bondage through ignorance (ātma-anātma adhyāsa; mamakāra)

Teaching: Philosophical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Bondage begins from a twofold ignorance: superimposing Selfhood on the non-Self and claiming non-owned objects as “mine,” which together seed avidyā.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Practice ātma-anātma viveka by noticing ‘I’ and ‘mine’ thoughts and re-centering identity in the witnessing Self rather than body/possessions.

Vishishtadvaita: Avidyā is beginningless misapprehension of the jīva’s true nature as a dependent mode (prakāra) of the Supreme, leading to false autonomy as ‘I’ and ‘mine’.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Avidyā (Ignorance)
• Ātman (Self)
• Anātman (Non-self)

FAQs

What is the significance of avidyā (ignorance) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse defines avidyā’s “seed” as two mistakes—taking the non-self to be the Self and taking what is not truly ours to be “mine”—from which bondage and suffering grow.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the root of bondage in this teaching?

Parāśara frames bondage as a cognitive error: misidentification (ātma-buddhi in anātman) and possessiveness (mamatā toward the non-owned), which together generate the entire “tree” of ignorance.

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

By exposing false selfhood and false ownership, the teaching clears the way to recognize the true Self and ultimate ground—Vishnu as Supreme Reality—beyond the shifting body-mind and worldly possessions.