Shloka 11
Adhyaya 81 — Suratha and Samadhi Seek Sage Medhas; Introduction to Mahamaya and the Madhukaitabha Origin Account
सोऽचिन्तयत् तदा तत्र ममत्वाकृष्टचेतनः ।
मत्पूर्वैः पालितं पूर्वं मया हीनं पुरं हि तत् ।
मद्भृत्यैस्तै रसद्वृत्तैर्धर्मतः पालयते न वा ॥
so ’cintayat tadā tatra mamatvākṛṣṭa-cetanaḥ |
mat-pūrvaiḥ pālitaṃ pūrvaṃ mayā hīnaṃ puraṃ hi tat |
mad-bhṛtyais tair asad-vṛttair dharmataḥ pālyate na vā ||
وہاں، اس کا دماغ ملکیت کے احساس سے مغلوب ہو گیا، اس نے سوچا: 'وہ شہر، جس کی حفاظت کبھی میرے آباؤ اجداد اور پہلے میں نے کی تھی، اب میرے بغیر ہے۔ کیا میرے وہ بدکردار ملازم دھرم کے مطابق اس پر حکومت کر رہے ہیں یا نہیں؟'
FAQs
Even after losing everything, attachment persists; the verse diagnoses bondage as ‘mamatā’—the sense of ‘mine’ that drags the mind back into sorrow and anxiety.
Dharma-oriented ākhyāna within manvantara-set narrative: it introduces the human problem (attachment/delusion) that the Goddess teaching will resolve.
The ‘city’ can symbolize the body-mind complex once ‘ruled’ by discernment; when discernment is absent, lower tendencies (‘wicked servants’) may or may not uphold dharma—prompting the need for Devi’s awakening power.