Shloka 60
The Description of Kāśī (Kāśī-māhātmya): Avimukta, Kapālamocana, and Śiva’s Purification
स्नातमात्रे हरे तत्तु कपालं पाणितोऽपतत् । कपालमोचनं नाम तत्तीर्थं ख्यातिमागतम् ॥ ६० ॥
snātamātre hare tattu kapālaṃ pāṇito'patat | kapālamocanaṃ nāma tattīrthaṃ khyātimāgatam || 60 ||
हरिने तेथे स्नान करताच ते कपालपात्र त्यांच्या हातातून गळून पडले। म्हणून ते तीर्थ ‘कपालमोचन’ या नावाने प्रसिद्ध झाले॥
Sanatkumara (narrating to Narada)
Vrata: none
Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"adbhuta","secondary_rasa":"shanta","emotional_journey":"A sudden miraculous release (the skull-bowl falls away) resolves into peaceful assurance as the tīrtha gains its liberating name."}
FAQs
It explains the naming-power of a tīrtha: Hari’s act of bathing causes the ‘kapāla’ to fall away, symbolizing the removal of a burden/impurity and establishing the place as Kapālamocana—renowned for liberation from such afflictions.
By showing Hari’s presence and action as the source of sanctity, it points devotees to bhakti expressed through tīrtha-sevā—reverent pilgrimage and bathing with remembrance of Hari—where grace is portrayed as immediate (“the moment he bathed”).
Ritual practice (kalpa-oriented conduct): the verse foregrounds tīrtha-snānā (sacred bathing) as a purificatory act and explains the etymological naming of a place (a nirukti-style insight) based on the event—Kapāla + mocana.