Shloka 46

The Description of Kāśī (Kāśī-māhātmya): Avimukta, Kapālamocana, and Śiva’s Purification

Devanagari script

मख मखधर मातृबद्धदामन्नवनीतप्रिय बल्लवीगणेश । अघबकवृषकेशिपूतनांत त्रिशिरोवालिदशास्यभेदकारिन् ॥ ४६ ॥

Transliteration

makha makhadhara mātṛbaddhadāmannavanītapriya ballavīgaṇeśa | aghabakavṛṣakeśipūtanāṃta triśirovālidaśāsyabhedakārin || 46 ||

Translation

O Lord of sacrifice and bearer of sacrifice—You who were tied with a rope by Your mother, who delight in butter, the leader of the cowherd maidens! You who brought the end of Agha, Baka, Vṛṣa, Keśī, and Pūtanā; who destroyed Triśiras, Vāli, and the ten-headed one (Rāvaṇa)—victory to You, O Slayer of foes!

Word by Word

• makha: O Makha (sacrifice-personified / epithet)
• makha: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: makha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (epithet; also ‘sacrifice’)

• makha-dhara: O bearer of sacrifice
• makha-dhara: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: makha (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (‘मखं धरति’/‘मखधारकः’); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• mātṛ-baddha-dāman: O one bound by mother with a rope
• mātṛ-baddha-dāman: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + baddha (कृदन्त; √bandh बन्ध्, क्त) + dāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (‘मातृणा बद्धं दाम यस्य’); ‘baddha’ = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त. पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• navanīta-priya: O butter-loving one
• navanīta-priya: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: navanīta (प्रातिपदिक) + priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (‘नवनीतं प्रियं यस्य’); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ballavī-gaṇa-īśa: O lord of the groups of cowherd women
• ballavī-gaṇa-īśa: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ballavī (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• agha-baka-vṛṣa-keśi-pūtanā-anta: O destroyer of Agha, Baka, Vṛṣa, Keśī and Pūtanā
• agha-baka-vṛṣa-keśi-pūtanā-anta: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agha (प्रातिपदिक) + baka (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + keśi (प्रातिपदिक) + pūtanā (प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (‘अघादीनां अन्तः’ = destroyer/end). पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• tri-śiras-vāli-daśāsya-bheda-kārin: O slayer who split Triśiras, Vāli, and Daśāsya (Rāvaṇa)
• tri-śiras-vāli-daśāsya-bheda-kārin: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या) + śiras (प्रातिपदिक) + vāli (प्रातिपदिक) + daśa (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या) + āsya (प्रातिपदिक) + bheda (प्रातिपदिक) + kārin (कृदन्त; √kṛ कृ, णिनि)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष; ‘kārin’ = णिनि-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त ‘doer/maker’. पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Narada (hymnic praise within the narrative of Uttara-Bhaga)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Krishna
• Yajna (Makha)
• Putana
• Keshi
• Bakāsura
• Aghāsura
• Vṛṣa (asura)
• Triśiras
• Vāli
• Rāvaṇa

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It compresses Krishna’s intimacy (being bound by His mother and loving butter) and His cosmic sovereignty (slayer of major demons and tyrants), teaching that the Supreme is reached most directly through loving devotion rather than mere power or ritual.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

By praising both Krishna’s tender, accessible form (mother’s rope, butter, gopīs) and His protective might, the verse models bhakti-stuti: remembering His līlā and victories as an act of surrender that strengthens faith and reliance on Vishnu.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

The phrase “makha/makhadhara” links devotion with yajña vocabulary (ritual language), showing how stotra and nāma-smaraṇa can function as a devotional ‘yajña’—a practical application of Vedic ritual terminology rather than a technical lesson in a specific Vedāṅga.