Shloka 20
Ārṣṭiṣeṇa’s Siddhi and the Tīrtha-Boons; Sindhudvīpa–Devāpi Brāhmaṇya; Viśvāmitra’s Tapas Begins
ततः स विशिरा राजन् पूतात्मा वीतकल्मष: । आजगामाश्रमं प्रीत: कृतकृत्यो महोदर:,राजन! उस कपालसे मुक्त हो निष्पाप एवं पवित्र अन्तःकरणवाले महोदर मुनि कृतकृत्य हो प्रसन्नतापूर्वक अपने आश्रमपर लौट आये
tataḥ sa viśirā rājan pūtātmā vītakalmaṣaḥ | ājagāmāśramaṁ prītaḥ kṛtakṛtyo mahodaraḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then, O king, Mahodara—freed from the skull (that had clung to him), pure in heart and cleansed of sin—returned joyfully to his hermitage, feeling that his purpose had been fulfilled. The episode underscores the ethical idea that inner purity and the removal of moral taint restore one to peace and rightful conduct.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral taint (kalmaṣa) is not merely external; when it is removed through rightful means, the person becomes pūtātmā—internally purified—and regains peace. Fulfilment (kṛtakṛtyatā) is linked to ethical completion: having resolved the burden, one can return to a life aligned with dharma.
After being freed from the troubling skull (kapāla) and becoming sinless and pure, the sage Mahodara feels satisfied and happily returns to his hermitage. Vaiśampāyana narrates this to the king as a concluding movement from affliction to purification and calm.