Shloka 18
दुन्दुभिनिर्ह्रादनिर्णयः / Dundubhinirhrāda’s Stratagem: Targeting the Brāhmaṇas
इति दुंदुभिनिर्ह्रादो मतिं कृत्वा कुलोचिताम् । प्राप्यापि काशीं दुर्वृत्तो मायावी न्यवधीद्द्विजान्
iti duṃdubhinirhrādo matiṃ kṛtvā kulocitām | prāpyāpi kāśīṃ durvṛtto māyāvī nyavadhīddvijān
Thus Duṃdubhinirhrāda—having resolved upon a course befitting his lineage—reached Kāśī; yet that wicked, deceitful one, deluded by māyā, slew the brāhmaṇa sages.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Rudra
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Despite reaching Kāśī, the māyāvī villain slays dvijas—underscoring that mere proximity to a mokṣa-kṣetra does not negate pāśa (bondage) without inner transformation and Śiva’s anugraha. The episode functions as a negative exemplum within Kāśī’s sacred frame.
Significance: Warns pilgrims: tīrtha is efficacious when approached with dharma and devotion; violence against brāhmaṇas/sādhus is a grave pāpa that blocks grace.
Role: destructive
FAQs
The verse underscores that merely reaching a sacred kṣetra like Kāśī does not purify one who remains bound by māyā and adharma; violence against the righteous (dvijas) is a grave obstruction to Shiva’s grace and liberation.
Kāśī is revered as Shiva’s own abode where Saguna Shiva is worshipped as the compassionate Lord; the verse shows that sacred proximity and external association with holy places cannot replace inner purity, devotion, and dharmic conduct required for true Shiva-bhakti.
The implied practice is dharma-aligned Shiva upāsanā: restraint from harm, reverence for brāhmaṇas and saints, and steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) to overcome māyā and purify intention.