Shloka 5
The Greatness of Kāśī (Kāśī-māhātmya) and Avimukta’s Liberative Power
वसिष्ठ उवाच । श्रृणु भूप प्रवक्ष्यामि यदपृच्छत्पुनर्वसुम् । मोहिनी मोहिमापन्ना तीर्थसेवनकामुका ॥ ५ ॥
vasiṣṭha uvāca | śrṛṇu bhūpa pravakṣyāmi yadapṛcchatpunarvasum | mohinī mohimāpannā tīrthasevanakāmukā || 5 ||
বসিষ্ঠ বললেন—হে রাজা, শোন; পুনর্বসু যা জিজ্ঞাসা করেছিলেন, তা আমি বলছি। মোহিনী মোহগ্রস্ত হয়ে তীর্থসেবায় আকাঙ্ক্ষিণী হলেন॥৫॥
Vasiṣṭha
Vrata: none
Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"adbhuta","secondary_rasa":"bhakti","emotional_journey":"A narrative opening moves from inquiry to the surprising motif of Mohinī’s delusion turning into eagerness for tīrtha-sevā."}
FAQs
It frames a tīrtha-mahātmya episode: even one who is mentally clouded (mohim āpannā) turns toward tīrtha-sevana, indicating pilgrimage as a dharmic means to reorient the mind toward purification and sacred remembrance.
While bhakti is not explicitly named here, the impulse toward tīrtha-sevana points to embodied devotion—seeking holy places connected with the divine, saints, and sacred rites—often presented in the Purāṇas as supportive of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa and devotional discipline.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa) is taught in this verse; it instead introduces a narrative context for tīrtha-related observances (kalpa-style practice may follow in subsequent verses).