अविमुक्तक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य — काशी-वाराणसी में मोक्ष, लिङ्ग-तीर्थ-मानचित्र, और उपासना-विधि
जपित्वैवं महाबीजं तथा पञ्चाक्षरस्य वै स एवं सर्वतीर्थेषु सर्वयज्ञेषु यत्फलम्
japitvaivaṃ mahābījaṃ tathā pañcākṣarasya vai sa evaṃ sarvatīrtheṣu sarvayajñeṣu yatphalam
So erlangt, wer Japa des Mahābīja und ebenso der heiligen Pañcākṣarī vollzieht, genau jene Frucht, die durch alle Pilgerfahrten und alle Opferhandlungen gewonnen wird; denn dieses Mantra-Japa wendet den gebundenen paśu unmittelbar dem Pati zu und löst die pāśa, die Fesseln.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)
It declares that japa of Shiva’s seed-mantra and the Pañcākṣarī yields the same merit as all pilgrimages and sacrifices, emphasizing inner worship (antar-yajña) as the essence of Linga-bhakti.
By equating mantra-japa with every tīrtha and yajña, it implies Shiva as Pati—the supreme recipient and purifier—whose grace is accessed directly through nāma/mantra, freeing the paśu from pāśa.
Mantra-japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī (Namaḥ Śivāya)—presented as a Shaiva sādhanā aligned with Pāśupata orientation, where repetition and inward offering surpass external rites.