Shloka 3
The Description of Kāśī (Kāśī-māhātmya): Avimukta, Kapālamocana, and Śiva’s Purification
षडूर्मिकांचनस्यैषा कांत प्रोक्ता दुरोदरी । कर्मबीजोपशमनी सर्वेषां गतिदायिका ॥ ३ ॥
ṣaḍūrmikāṃcanasyaiṣā kāṃta proktā durodarī | karmabījopaśamanī sarveṣāṃ gatidāyikā || 3 ||
Beloved, this teaching/practice is declared to be the “hard-to-cross” river for one bound by the six waves of worldly affliction. It stills the seed of karma and becomes the giver of the highest course—the true refuge—for all.
Narada (teaching in the Uttara-Bhaga context; dialogic instruction attributed to Narada’s discourse tradition)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It presents a liberating means that helps one cross the six ‘waves’ of embodied life and specifically targets karmabīja (the latent seed of future bondage), indicating a moksha-oriented teaching rather than mere worldly merit.
By describing the means as ‘gatidāyikā’ (giver of the highest refuge), the verse aligns with Narada Purana’s recurring theme that surrender and devotional orientation toward the Supreme leads beyond samsara’s afflictions and weakens the roots of karma.
No specific Vedanga (like Vyakarana, Jyotisha, or Kalpa) is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is soteriological—identify the ṣaḍ-ūrmi condition and adopt the prescribed discipline that reduces karmic latency (karmabīja).