Shloka 47
अविमुक्तक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य
The Greatness of Avimukta–Vārāṇasī and Viśveśvara
पूर्वजन्मकृतं चेद्वै काशीदर्शनमादरात् । तदा काशीं च संप्राप्य लभेन्मृत्युं न चान्यथा
pūrvajanmakṛtaṃ cedvai kāśīdarśanamādarāt | tadā kāśīṃ ca saṃprāpya labhenmṛtyuṃ na cānyathā
Wenn jemand in einem früheren Leben das Verdienst erlangt hat, Kāśī ehrfürchtig zu schauen, dann wird er—wenn er in diesem Leben Kāśī erreicht—den Tod dort erlangen und nicht anderswo. Ein solcher Tod in Kāśī gilt als von Śiva gewährter Übergang zur Befreiung.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya, within the Kotirudrasaṃhitā’s Jyotirlinga pilgrimage discourse)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Merit from prior births ripens as access to Kāśī; dying in Kāśī is portrayed as Śiva-arranged culmination (mṛtyu in kṣetra) leading toward release from saṃsāra.
Significance: Kāśī-maraṇa is treated as a privileged passage under Śiva’s guardianship, implying final purification and proximity to mokṣa.
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse teaches that reaching Kāśī and attaining one’s final moment there is not random but ripens from prior-life devotional merit (kāśī-darśana). In the Kotirudra context, death in Kāśī is portrayed as Shiva’s special grace that directs the soul toward liberation.
Kotirudrasaṃhitā emphasizes Jyotirlinga pilgrimage; Kāśī is identified with Lord Shiva as Viśvanātha. The verse supports Saguna Shiva worship through sacred place (kṣetra) and Linga-darśana, where Shiva’s presence is accessed through pilgrimage, devotion, and remembrance.
It implies reverent Kāśī-darśana (pilgrimage with devotion) and sustained bhakti so that prior merit matures; practically, one may support this with regular japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and Linga-darśana intentions, especially when undertaking Jyotirlinga yatra.