Varaha Purana 71.8: Adhyaya 71, Shloka 8
Vision of the Trimūrti in Rudra, the Gautama Curse, the Manifestation of the Godāvarī, and the Niḥśvāsa-saṃhitā Account
एवमुक्ते तु रुद्रेण सर्वे ते मुनयो नृप । पप्रच्छुः शङ्करं देवं मोहशास्त्रप्रयोजनम् ॥ ७१.८ ॥
evam ukte tu rudreṇa sarve te munayo nṛpa | papracchuḥ śaṅkaraṃ devaṃ mohaśāstraprayojanam || 71.8 ||
जब रुद्र जी चुप हो गए, तब सब रिशियों ने शंकर भगवान से सवाल किया। राजा जी, उन्होंने पूछा कि यह मोह-शास्त्र क्या है? इसका मतलब क्या है और इसका क्या काम है?
Narrator (frame address to the king); sages as interlocutors
FAQs
It preserves a common Purāṇic narrative technique: sages request clarification on a technical doctrinal term, indicating a didactic setting where competing or strategic teachings (here, ‘Moha-śāstra’) are explained within a broader dharma discourse.
No geographic location is named in this verse; it is primarily a dialogue transition focused on doctrinal inquiry.
The verse models an epistemic ethic: authoritative claims should be questioned and clarified through learned inquiry, especially when teachings involve ‘moha’ (delusion) or potentially misleading doctrine.
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