पठतो मे गतः कालस्तथोपार्जयतो धनम् । नाराधितो महेशानः कर्मनिर्मूलनक्षमः
paṭhato me gataḥ kālastathopārjayato dhanam | nārādhito maheśānaḥ karmanirmūlanakṣamaḥ
‘என் காலம் படிப்பிலும், அதுபோல செல்வம் ஈட்டுவதிலும் கழிந்தது; ஆனால் கர்மத்தின் வேரை அகற்ற வல்ல மகேசானை நான் வழிபடவில்லை.’
Śivaśarmā (inner speech/lament within Agastya’s narration)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: Śivaśarmā confesses with folded hands, manuscripts and coins set aside; in the background rises a Śiva temple with a liṅga, suggesting the shift from worldly pursuits to worship that uproots karma.
Learning and prosperity are incomplete without devotion; worship of Śiva, the uprooter of karmic bondage, is presented as essential for true freedom.
No site is named in the line, but the Kāśīkhaṇḍa framework links Śiva-worship and karmic release to the sacred geography of Kāśī.
Ārādhana (worship/propitiation) of Maheśāna (Śiva) is urged implicitly as the remedy for karmic entanglement.