अहो मोहस्य माहात्म्यं येनेदं छादितं जगत् । शीघ्रं पश्यन्स्वकं दोषं कायस्य न विरज्यते
aho mohasya māhātmyaṃ yenedaṃ chāditaṃ jagat | śīghraṃ paśyansvakaṃ doṣaṃ kāyasya na virajyate
ಅಹೋ, ಮೋಹದ ಮಹಿಮೆಯೆಷ್ಟು! ಅದರಿಂದ ಈ ಸಮಸ್ತ ಜಗತ್ತು ಮುಚ್ಚಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿದೆ. ತನ್ನ ದೋಷವನ್ನು ಬೇಗನೆ ಕಂಡರೂ ದೇಹದ ಮೇಲಿನ ವೈರಾಗ್ಯ ತಕ್ಷಣ ಉಂಟಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.
Lord Shiva (in the Umāsaṃhitā’s philosophical discourse)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Īśāna
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
It highlights moha (delusion) as a veiling power that keeps the soul bound; even self-awareness of one’s defects is not enough unless it matures into vairagya (dispassion) and turning toward Pati (Shiva) for liberation.
Linga-worship trains the mind to shift identity from the perishable body to Shiva as the inner Lord; this verse explains why that shift is difficult—delusion persists even after recognizing faults—so steady Saguna devotion and contemplation are prescribed to pierce the veil.
Regular japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namah Shivaya) with mindfulness of bodily impermanence, along with simple Shaiva disciplines like Tripundra (bhasma) and Rudraksha as aids to remembrance, supports the growth of dispassion taught in this verse.