Shloka 11
The Description of Kāśī (Kāśī-māhātmya): Avimukta, Kapālamocana, and Śiva’s Purification
तच्छिन्नं ब्रह्मणः शीर्षं संलग्नं करपल्लवे । वामे निर्धूतमानिशं न निवृत्तं द्विजोत्तम ॥ ११ ॥
tacchinnaṃ brahmaṇaḥ śīrṣaṃ saṃlagnaṃ karapallave | vāme nirdhūtamāniśaṃ na nivṛttaṃ dvijottama || 11 ||
Ó melhor dos duas-vezes-nascidos, aquela cabeça de Brahmā, decepada, ficou presa à palma de Sua mão; embora Ele a sacudisse sem cessar, não se desprendia.
Suta (narrating to the assembled sages, addressing a brāhmaṇa as 'dvijottama')
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It conveys that grave wrongdoing and its karmic mark can cling to a person and cannot be removed by mere physical effort; purification requires dharmic remedy—expiation, right conduct, and sacred means of cleansing taught in the Mahatmya context.
Indirectly, it highlights human helplessness before the residue of sin and points toward surrender to divine order—seeking purification through sacred disciplines and, in the wider Purāṇic frame, turning to the Lord’s grace as the ultimate remover of bondage.
The verse most directly relates to Dharma-śāstra style prāyaścitta (expiatory discipline) rather than a specific Vedāṅga; it underscores the ritual-ethical principle that certain impurities require prescribed remedial acts, not mere personal exertion.