Mohā (), a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

word often rendered as “delusion," refers to the Hindu and Buddhist concept of ignorance that prevents the understanding of Truth. Bhagavad Gita, Verse 2.52, explains this delusion (moha) as infatuation or attachment to

maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

. In Ayurvedic classics, hallucinations and delusions are referred to as false perceptions (mithyājñāna), illusions (maya), infatuations (moha), or confusion ( bhrama). In

Yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

philosophy and Hatha Yoga Pradipika, ''moha'' is described as a delusion that clouds the mind.Moha
Definition - What does Moha mean?, www.yogapedia.com It has been cited as one of the causes of perjury.Moha, Mohā: 50 definitions
In Hinduism, www.wisdomlib.org It is one of the Shadripurs.

Literature

''Moha'' appears in the Vedic literature, and has roots in early Vedic word ''mogha'' which means "empty, unreal, vain, useless, foolish". The term is used in theological literature such as the ''

Manusmriti The ''Manusmṛti'' (), also known as the ''Mānava-Dharmaśāstra'' or the Laws of Manu, is one of the many legal texts and constitutions among the many ' of Hinduism. Over fifty manuscripts of the ''Manusmriti'' are now known, but the earli ...

''. According to the ''

Vishnu Purana The Vishnu Purana () is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature corpus. The manuscripts of ''Vishnu Purana'' have survived into ...

'', ''moha'' means "foolishness" and represents a form of emotional spiritual pain. According to Vishnu Purana verses 6.5.1-6, "the wise man investigates the three types of worldly suffering, or mental and physical suffering and the like, and attains true knowledge and detachment from human objects, attaining ultimate extinction". According to the Saura Purana, ''moha'' refers to one of the five avidyas.

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu texts, Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the Hindu epic, epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Ind ...

verses 2.62-63 describe the process that leads to mental afflictions, including ''moha''. It explains that attachment (sanga) to sensory objects leads to desire (''kama''). Unfulfilled desires lead to anger (''krodha''). Anger leads to delusion (moha), resulting in confusion ( smriti-bhramsha). This further deteriorates into the loss of reason (buddhi-nasha), and eventually, the person is destroyed or falls into ignorance. ''Moha'' refers to "confounding enemies" and, according to the ''Kakshaputatantra'', represents one of several siddhis.Kakṣapuṭatantra verse 1.11-13. According to the Kubjikamata-tantra, Moh is the third of the eight mothers born from the body of Vahni. These eight sub-manifestations, including delusion, symbolize mental dispositions or emotions and are considered obstacles to the attainment of liberated enlightenment. They were presided over by Unmatt Bhairav.

References

{{Hindudharma Hindu philosophical concepts Sanskrit words and phrases

Literature

See also

References