Shloka 42
The Description of Kāśī (Kāśī-māhātmya): Avimukta, Kapālamocana, and Śiva’s Purification
कुकुपतिवनपावकाखिलेज्यास्रपकालासितवस्त्र बुद्ध कल्किन् । भवभयहर भक्तवश्य गोप प्रणत्तोद्धारक पुण्यकीर्तिनाम् ॥ ४२ ॥
kukupativanapāvakākhilejyāsrapakālāsitavastra buddha kalkin | bhavabhayahara bhaktavaśya gopa praṇattoddhāraka puṇyakīrtinām || 42 ||
O Buddha, O Kalkin—dark-robed Lord, like a fire to the forest of evil rulers; You who bring all sacrifices to an end and are Time that destroys the serpent-like forces. Remover of the fear of saṃsāra, won over by devotees’ bhakti; O Gopa, Protector, savior of those who bow down—may Your holy fame be ever celebrated.
Narada (stotra-style praise within the Uttara-Bhaga narrative)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
The verse functions as a compact stotra: it invokes Vishnu’s avatāra-names (Buddha, Kalkin) and stresses His role as bhava-bhaya-hara—removing existential fear—by granting refuge to surrendered devotees.
Bhakti is highlighted through the epithet bhakta-vaśya: the Lord is ‘won over’ not by power or status but by devotion and surrender (praṇatti), and He becomes the uddhāraka, the rescuer of the devotee.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa ritual procedure) is taught directly; the practical takeaway is stotra-recitation as a devotional discipline (bhakti-sādhana) centered on divine names and attributes.