Shloka 2
The Account of Mohinī (Mohinī-kathanam): Ekādaśī Nirṇaya, Daśamī Boundary, and Aruṇodaya
तत्समीपे मम स्थानं युक्तं भाति विचार्यताम् । देवा ऊचुः । वेधो निशीथे देवानामुपकाराय मोहिनी ॥ २ ॥
tatsamīpe mama sthānaṃ yuktaṃ bhāti vicāryatām | devā ūcuḥ | vedho niśīthe devānāmupakārāya mohinī || 2 ||
“त्या स्थळाजवळ माझे धाम असणे योग्य वाटते—याचा विचार करावा.” देव म्हणाले—“हे वेधा (स्रष्टा), मध्यरात्री देवांच्या उपकारासाठी मोहिनी प्रकट होवो.”
Devas (with a brief narrative lead-in preceding their speech)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
The verse highlights divine deliberation about sacred proximity (a worthy abode near a holy locus) and invokes Mohinī as a form of divine māyā employed for dharmic purpose—showing that even enchantment can serve the cosmic welfare when aligned with divine intent.
By naming Mohinī—classically understood as Viṣṇu’s wondrous, world-bewitching power—the verse points to the bhakti insight that the Lord’s forms and energies operate for the protection and uplift of devotees and devas; devotion grows through recognizing divine agency behind seemingly paradoxical events.
The term niśītha (midnight) reflects sacred time-reckoning used in ritual observance—an applied layer of Jyotiṣa-style muhūrta awareness—where specific timings are considered potent for rites, vows, and divine interventions in Purāṇic narratives.