Shloka 16
अविमुक्तक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य
The Greatness of Avimukta–Vārāṇasī and Viśveśvara
प्रसूता संस्कृता कापि यादृशी तादृशी द्विजाः । अत्र क्षेत्रे मृता चेत्स्यान्मोक्षभाङ् नात्र संशयः
prasūtā saṃskṛtā kāpi yādṛśī tādṛśī dvijāḥ | atra kṣetre mṛtā cetsyānmokṣabhāṅ nātra saṃśayaḥ
O twice-born ones, whatever her condition of birth and however refined (or unrefined) she may be, if she dies in this sacred kṣetra, she will indeed attain liberation (mokṣa). Of this there is no doubt.
Suta Goswami (narrating the kṣetra-māhātmya to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: This verse is part of a kṣetra-māhātmya: the sacred field is proclaimed so grace-filled that death within its boundary yields mokṣa irrespective of birth-status or saṃskāra. The emphasis is on Śiva’s kṣetrapāla-anugraha overriding ordinary eligibility rules.
Significance: Assures ‘kṣetra-maraṇa’ as a direct occasion for liberation; motivates residence, pilgrimage, and final rites within the kṣetra.
Role: liberating
FAQs
It proclaims the extraordinary grace (anugraha) of Shiva’s sacred kṣetra: liberation is granted not by social status alone but by the sanctity of the place and Shiva’s salvific power, which cuts the bonds (pāśa) that bind the soul (paśu).
In Kotirudrasaṃhitā, the kṣetra is typically centered on Shiva’s Jyotirliṅga presence; proximity to and remembrance of Saguna Shiva in that holy domain is taught as a direct channel of Shiva’s grace leading to mokṣa.
The practical takeaway is tīrtha-yātrā and kṣetra-smaraṇa: pilgrimage to Shiva’s holy kṣetra, worship of the Liṅga with mantra (especially devotionally repeating “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), and dying with Shiva-remembrance as the highest fruition.