Kāṣṭhīla-Upākhyāna: Rākṣasī, Spear-Śakti, and Kāśī as Śakti-kṣetra
ईशस्य कृत्यं द्विज दुर्विभाव्यं धर्मानुकूल्येन समास्थितस्य । व्यासः स्वयं वेदविभागकर्त्ता पाराशरिस्तत्त्वदृगिज्यमूर्तिः । कन्यात्वविध्वसकवीर्यजन्मा कानीनसंज्ञोऽनुजदारगामी ॥ ३२ ॥
īśasya kṛtyaṃ dvija durvibhāvyaṃ dharmānukūlyena samāsthitasya | vyāsaḥ svayaṃ vedavibhāgakarttā pārāśaristattvadṛgijyamūrtiḥ | kanyātvavidhvasakavīryajanmā kānīnasaṃjño'nujadāragāmī || 32 ||
Ô brāhmane, les actes du Seigneur sont difficiles à concevoir, Lui qui demeure établi en accord avec le Dharma. Vyāsa lui-même devint l’ordonnateur et le répartiteur des Veda; fils de Parāśara, voyant de la vérité, incarnation du culte. Né d’une puissance qui brisa la virginité, il fut nommé « Kānīna », puis, plus tard, s’approcha de l’épouse de son frère cadet.
Narada (narrative voice within Uttara-Bhaga context; dialogue tradition attributed to Narada’s instruction stream)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
It teaches that the Lord’s providence operates through dharma yet remains beyond ordinary human calculation, and it frames Vyāsa’s extraordinary life as an instrument of that divine order.
By presenting Vyāsa as an ‘embodiment of worship’ (ijyā-mūrti), the verse implies that true devotion expresses itself as dharma-aligned service—preserving revelation (Vedas) and guiding society through sacred knowledge.
The verse points to Veda-vibhāga (systematizing and arranging Vedic recensions), which connects to disciplined transmission supported by Vedāṅga tools such as Śikṣā (phonetics) and Vyākaraṇa (grammar) for accurate preservation.