Shloka 45

Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)

Devanagari script

मया तु मोहनी नाम मायैषा सम्प्रदर्शिता | प्रियार्थ पुरुषेन्द्रस्य पितुस्तेडद्य यशस्विन:,“यह तो मैंने आज तुम्हारे यशस्वी पिता पुरुषप्रवर धनंजयका प्रिय करनेके लिये मोहनी माया दिखलायी है

Transliteration

mayā tu mohinī nāma māyaiṣā sampradarśitā | priyārthaṃ puruṣendrasya pituḥ te’dya yaśasvinaḥ ||

Translation

వైశంపాయనుడు పలికెను—ఈ రోజు నేను ‘మోహినీ’ అనే ఈ మాయను ప్రదర్శించాను; నీ యశస్వి తండ్రి, పురుషశ్రేష్ఠుడైన ఆయనను సంతోషపెట్టుటకై.

Word by Word

मयाby me

तुbut/indeed

मोहनीbewitching, deluding

नामby name; called

मायाillusion, magical power

एषाthis

सम्प्रदर्शिताshown, displayed

प्रियार्थम्for (the sake of) pleasing; for a dear purpose

पुरुषेन्द्रस्यof the lord among men

पितुःof (your) father

तेof you; your

अद्यtoday

यशस्विनःof the glorious/famous one

Speaker

वैशमग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Mohinī-māyā

Dhanañjaya (Arjuna, implied by ‘puruṣapravara dhanañjaya’ in the given gloss)

the father addressed as ‘yaśasvin’ (glorious father, context-dependent)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that an act involving illusion (māyā) is ethically framed by intention: it is presented as being done ‘for the sake of pleasing’ a revered person. It invites reflection on how motive and context shape the moral reading of deceptive appearances.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator Vaiśaṃpāyana explains that the spectacle or deception called ‘Mohinī’ was deliberately displayed by him on that day, specifically to gratify the addressee’s glorious father—identified in the accompanying gloss as Dhanañjaya (Arjuna).