Shloka 20

Ārṣṭiṣeṇa’s Siddhi and the Tīrtha-Boons; Sindhudvīpa–Devāpi Brāhmaṇya; Viśvāmitra’s Tapas Begins

Devanagari script

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

Transliteration

tataḥ sa viśirā rājan pūtātmā vītakalmaṣaḥ | ājagāmāśramaṁ prītaḥ kṛtakṛtyo mahodaraḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana disse: Então, ó rei, Mahodara—liberto do crânio que se lhe prendia, puro de coração e purgado do pecado—retornou jubiloso ao seu eremitério, sentindo que o seu propósito fora cumprido.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

सःhe

विशिराःfreed from the skull (burden), skull-less

राजन्O king

पूतात्माpure-souled

वीतकल्मषःfree from sin/impurity

आजगामcame, returned

आश्रमम्to the hermitage

प्रीतःpleased, delighted

कृतकृत्यःhaving accomplished his purpose, fulfilled

महोदरःMahodara (proper name)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Mahodara

āśrama (hermitage)

kapāla (skull, implied by context/translation)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.