Shloka 20
Keśava-tattva-kathana
On the Principle of Keśava: Cosmogony and Divine Epithets
तालुदेशमथोद्दाल्य ब्राह्मणस्य महात्मन: । ज्योतिर्ज्वाला सुमहती जगाम त्रिदिवं तदा,इसी समय महात्मा ब्राह्मणके तालुदेश (ब्रह्म-रन्ध्र) का भेदन करके एक ज्योतिर्मयी विशाल ज्वाला निकली और स्वर्गकी ओर चल दी
tāludeśam athoddālya brāhmaṇasya mahātmanaḥ | jyotirjvālā sumahatī jagāma tridivaṃ tadā ||
Bhīṣma said: Then, piercing the region of the palate—the brahma-randhra—of that great-souled brāhmaṇa, a vast, radiant flame of light emerged and at once proceeded toward the heavenly world. The passage underscores the ideal of a disciplined, purified life culminating in an auspicious departure, where inner spiritual power is portrayed as rising upward through the highest aperture.
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an idealized yogic departure: through purity, austerity, and inner realization, the life-force (symbolized as a radiant flame) rises through the highest aperture (brahma-randhra) toward a higher state, suggesting a meritorious or liberated end aligned with dharma.
Bhīṣma describes the moment of a great brāhmaṇa’s passing: the brahma-randhra is said to be pierced, a huge luminous flame emerges, and it travels upward to tridiva (heaven), marking an auspicious transition from embodied life to a celestial destination.