Shloka 40
Viśveśvara-māhātmya and the Nirguṇa–Saguṇa Emergence of Śiva (Śakti–Puruṣa/Prakṛti Discourse)
यद्दिनं हि समारभ्य हरः काश्यामुपागतः । तदारभ्य च सा काशी सर्वश्रेष्ठतराभवत्
yaddinaṃ hi samārabhya haraḥ kāśyāmupāgataḥ | tadārabhya ca sā kāśī sarvaśreṣṭhatarābhavat
From the very day that Hara (Lord Śiva) came to Kāśī, from that moment onward that Kāśī became the most excellent of all holy places.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Kotirudra Samhita account to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Viśvanātha
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Sūta states that from the day Hara arrived in Kāśī, Kāśī became ‘the most excellent’ of all sacred places—an explicit kṣetra-māhātmya grounded in Śiva’s advent and continued presence.
Significance: Establishes Kāśī as the preeminent tīrtha because Śiva’s grace saturates the place; pilgrimage is framed as entering a geography transformed by divine presence.
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse declares that Kāśī’s unsurpassed sanctity is rooted in Śiva’s direct presence; where Pati (Śiva) abides, the field for liberation and grace becomes supreme for the bound soul (paśu).
By linking Kāśī’s greatness to Hara’s arrival, the text emphasizes Saguna Śiva’s accessible presence—classically honored in Kāśī as Viśvanātha Liṅga—through which devotees approach the transcendent Nirguna reality.
A practical takeaway is to worship Śiva in Kāśī (or inwardly as Kāśī in the heart) with the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” supported by Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as aids to steady bhakti and remembrance.