Shloka 12
अविमुक्तक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य
The Greatness of Avimukta–Vārāṇasī and Viśveśvara
जीवन्मुक्तौ तु तौ ज्ञेयौ यत्रकुत्रापि वै मृतौ । प्राप्नुतो मोक्षमाश्वेव मयोक्तं निश्चितं वचः
jīvanmuktau tu tau jñeyau yatrakutrāpi vai mṛtau | prāpnuto mokṣamāśveva mayoktaṃ niścitaṃ vacaḥ
Know these two to be liberated even while living; and wherever they may die, they swiftly attain mokṣa. This is My certain and definitive declaration.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: States the doctrine of jīvanmukti: the perfected devotee/knower is free even before death; death-place is irrelevant for such a one.
FAQs
The verse proclaims that true Shaiva realization can mature into jīvanmukti—freedom from bondage while embodied—and that such souls, regardless of place of death, quickly reach final liberation by the grace of Pati (Lord Shiva).
In the Kotirudra context, devotion to Saguna Shiva—especially through Jyotirlinga-centered worship—purifies the pashu (bound soul) and loosens pasha (bondage), culminating in Shiva’s liberating grace that is not limited by geography or circumstance.
Steady Shaiva sādhanā—japa of the Panchākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), Linga-pūjā with vibhūti (Tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa, and meditative surrender to Shiva as the liberator—aligns with the promise of swift moksha described here.