Shloka 12

Viśvarūpa-darśana (The Vision of the Universal Form) — महायोगेश्वरस्य विश्वरूपदर्शनम्

Devanagari script

मोघाशा: मोघकर्माणोः मोघज्ञानाईं विचेतस: । राक्षसीमासुरीं चैव प्रकृतिं मोहिनीं श्रिता:

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca | moghāśāḥ moghakarmāṇo moghajñānā vicetasaḥ | rākṣasīm āsurīṃ caiva prakṛtiṃ mohinīṃ śritāḥ ||

Translation

அவர்களின் நம்பிக்கைகள் வீணாகின்றன; செயல்களும் வீணாகின்றன; அறிவும் வீணாகின்றது; அவர்கள் விவேகமற்றவர்கள். மயக்கும் ராக்ஷஸீ, ஆசுரீ இயல்பை அவர்கள் சார்கிறார்கள்.

Word by Word

मोघाशाःhaving futile hopes

मोघकर्माणःwhose actions are futile

मोघज्ञानाःwhose knowledge is futile

विचेतसःof deluded/undiscerning minds

राक्षसीम्demonic (rakshasi-like)

आसुरीम्asuric

चand

एवindeed/just

प्रकृतिम्nature/disposition

मोहिनीम्bewildering/deluding

श्रिताःhaving resorted to

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A mind clouded by moha (delusion) makes one’s hopes, actions, and even ‘knowledge’ barren. Ethical life requires clear discernment; when one clings to rākṣasa/asuric dispositions—cruelty, arrogance, and hostility to dharma—one’s pursuits lose true value and moral direction.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Bhīṣma Parva war setting, Arjuna speaks about people whose inner nature is deluded and destructive. He characterizes such persons as driven by rākṣasa and asuric tendencies, implying that their choices and understanding become futile and ethically misaligned.