Shloka 72
The Description of Kāśī (Kāśī-māhātmya): Avimukta, Kapālamocana, and Śiva’s Purification
एषा पुरी कर्मविनाशनाय कृष्णेन पूर्वं हि विनिर्मिताभूत् । यस्यां मृता दुःखमनंतमुग्रं भुंजंति मर्त्या यमयातनां नो ॥ ७२ ॥
eṣā purī karmavināśanāya kṛṣṇena pūrvaṃ hi vinirmitābhūt | yasyāṃ mṛtā duḥkhamanaṃtamugraṃ bhuṃjaṃti martyā yamayātanāṃ no || 72 ||
Kota suci ini dahulu didirikan oleh Kṛṣṇa untuk memusnahkan belenggu karma. Mereka yang mati di sini tidak akan menanggung penderitaan yang tiada berkesudahan dan dahsyat daripada hukuman Yama.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in a Tirtha-Mahatmya narrative)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It declares the extraordinary salvific power of a divinely founded sacred city: death there is said to destroy karmic bondage and spare the soul from Yama’s punitive sufferings, emphasizing the Purāṇic doctrine of kṣetra-māhātmya (the glory of holy places).
By attributing the city’s liberating potency to Kṛṣṇa’s deliberate establishment, the verse frames liberation as grace-centered: connection to Kṛṣṇa through His kṣetra (holy domain) supports surrender and remembrance, which are core movements of bhakti.
The verse primarily teaches tīrtha-dharma rather than a specific Vedāṅga; practically, it supports Dharma-śāstra style guidance on pilgrimage (kṣetra-vāsa, tīrtha-yātrā) and the ritual logic of prāyaścitta (expiation) through sacred-place association.