Shloka 43

Pracetās, Māriṣā, Dakṣa’s Re-manifestation, and the Brahma-parastava; Cyclic Creation and Genealogies

Devanagari script

यया शक्रप्रियार्थिन्या कृतो मे तपसो व्ययः त्वया धिक् त्वां महामोहमञ्जूषां सुजुगुप्सिताम्

Transliteration

yayā śakrapriyārthinyā kṛto me tapaso vyayaḥ tvayā dhik tvāṃ mahāmohamañjūṣāṃ sujugupsitām

Translation

因你这只求取悦释迦罗者，我辛苦修得的苦行功德尽被耗散。可耻！可耻！你这盛满大迷妄的可憎匣子！

Word by Word

• yayā: by whom
• yayā: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• śakra-priya-arthinyā: by the woman seeking Indra’s pleasure
• śakra-priya-arthinyā: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakra (प्रातिपदिक) + priya (प्रातिपदिक) + arthinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (determinative: ‘śakrasya priyaṃ arthayate’), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• kṛtaḥ: was made / done
• kṛtaḥ: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया-फल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kṛta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• tapasaḥ: of (my) austerity
• tapasaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• vyayaḥ: waste / loss
• vyayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया, एकवचन

• dhik: shame on
• dhik: Sambandha (Exclamation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhik (अव्यय)
• Form: निन्दार्थक-अव्यय (interjection of censure)

• tvām: you
• tvām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• mahā-moha-mañjūṣām: a casket of great delusion
• mahā-moha-mañjūṣām: Karma (Apposition/object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + moha (प्रातिपदिक) + mañjūṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (determinative: ‘mahān mohaḥ yasyāṃ sā’/‘mohasya mañjūṣā’), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• sujugupsitām: most detestable
• sujugupsitām: Visheshana (Adjective of object/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jugups (धातु) → jugupsita (कृदन्त) with su- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सु-उपसर्ग (intensifier)

Speaker

A sage/ascetic (addressing an Indra-sent temptress/apparition within the narrative frame relayed by Sage Parāśara to Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Worldly allure, motivated by pleasing Indra (Śakra), can squander tapas; delusion (moha) is condemned as spiritually ruinous.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Guard spiritual practice from ego and distraction; treat praise, pleasure, and status as tests that can drain inner power.

Vishishtadvaita: Moha is a binding distortion within prakṛti; true strength of tapas is preserved by turning intention toward the Supreme rather than deva-centered reward-seeking.

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)

FAQs

What is the significance of Indra (Śakra) in this verse of the Vishnu Purana?

Śakra represents worldly sovereignty that becomes anxious about ascetic power; the verse reflects the recurring Purāṇic theme of Indra attempting to divert tapas through temptation.

How does the Vishnu Purana portray the loss of tapas (austerity) here?

Tapas is treated as accumulated spiritual potency that can be ‘spent’ or ‘wasted’ when the mind is conquered by moha (delusion) and desire, even if the distraction appears pleasing or divine.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context, even though he is not named?

The verse implicitly contrasts unstable, desire-driven aims (seeking Indra’s favor) with the Purāṇic ideal of aligning one’s practice toward the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—beyond moha and transient heavenly rewards.