ततश्चावभृथस्नानविधूताशेषकिल्बिषः ।
सरस्वत्यां महानद्यां रेजे व्यब्भ्र इवांशुमान् ॥२३॥

tataÅ› cÄvabhá¹›tha-snÄna-
vidhÅ«tÄÅ›eá¹£a-kilbiá¹£aḥ
sarasvatyÄá¹ mahÄ-nadyÄá¹
reje vyabbhra ivÄmÅ›umÄn

 tataḥ - thereafter; ca - also; avabhá¹›tha-snÄna - by bathing after finishing the sacrifice; vidhÅ«ta - cleansed; aÅ›eá¹£a - unlimited; kilbiá¹£aḥ - whose reactions of sinful activities; sarasvatyÄm - on the bank of the great river SarasvatÄ«; mahÄ-nadyÄm - one of the biggest rivers in India; reje - Lord ParaÅ›urÄma appeared; vyabbhraḥ - cloudless; iva amÅ›umÄn - like the sun.


Text

Thereafter, having completed the ritualistic sacrificial ceremonies, Lord ParaÅ›urÄma took the bath known as the avabhá¹›tha-snÄna. Standing on the bank of the great river SarasvatÄ«, cleared of all sins, Lord ParaÅ›urÄma appeared like the sun in a clear, cloudless sky.

Purport

As stated in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (3.9), yajñÄrthÄt karmaṇo ’nyatra loko ’yaá¹ karma-bandhanaḥ: “Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu has to be performed; otherwise work binds one to this material world.†Karma-bandhanaḥ refers to the repeated acceptance of one material body after another. The whole problem of life is this repetition of birth and death. Therefore one is advised to work to perform yajña meant for satisfying Lord Viṣṇu. Although Lord ParaÅ›urÄma was an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he had to account for sinful activities. Anyone in this material world, however careful he may be, must commit some sinful activities, even though he does not want to. For example, one may trample many small ants and other insects while walking on the street and kill many living beings unknowingly. Therefore the Vedic principle of pañca-yajña, five kinds of recommended sacrifice, is compulsory. In this Age of Kali, however, there is a great concession given to people in general. Yajñaiḥ saá¹…kÄ«rtana-prÄyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ: we may worship Lord Caitanya, the hidden incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-varṇaá¹ tviá¹£Äkṛṣṇam: although He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, He always chants Hare Kṛṣṇa and preaches Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One is recommended to worship this incarnation by chanting, the saá¹…kÄ«rtana-yajña. The performance of saá¹…kÄ«rtana-yajña is a special concession for human society to save people from being affected by known or unknown sinful activities. We are surrounded by unlimited sins, and therefore it is compulsory that one take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahÄ-mantra.