The Greatness of Kāśī (Kāśī-māhātmya) and Avimukta’s Liberative Power
नानावर्णा विकर्णाश्च चांडाला ये जुगुप्सिताः । किल्बिषैः पूर्णदेहाश्च प्रकृष्टैः पातकैस्तथा ॥ २६ ॥
nānāvarṇā vikarṇāśca cāṃḍālā ye jugupsitāḥ | kilbiṣaiḥ pūrṇadehāśca prakṛṣṭaiḥ pātakaistathā || 26 ||
Những kẻ bị khinh miệt là caṇḍāla—da sắc tạp loạn, tai dị dạng—thân họ đầy tội lỗi, lại do những trọng tội nghiêm khốc mà thành.
Sūta (narrating the Purāṇic discourse; verse describes karmic results)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: karuna
It stresses karmaphala: grave pātakas manifest as painful, stigmatized conditions in embodied life, warning the seeker to avoid adharma and pursue purification.
Indirectly, it motivates turning away from sin and toward sattvic living; in the Purāṇic framework, sincere devotion supported by ethical conduct and purification is presented as the safer course than pātaka-driven life.
The verse aligns with Dharmaśāstra-style classification of pātaka (heinous sins) and implies the need for prāyaścitta procedures—practical ritual/ethical guidance rather than a specific Vedāṅga like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa.