Shloka 30
अविमुक्तक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य
The Greatness of Avimukta–Vārāṇasī and Viśveśvara
विषयासक्तचित्तोऽपि त्यक्त धर्मरुचिर्नरः । इह क्षेत्रे मृतो यो वै संसारं न पुनर्विशेत्
viṣayāsaktacitto'pi tyakta dharmarucirnaraḥ | iha kṣetre mṛto yo vai saṃsāraṃ na punarviśet
“Even a man whose mind is attached to sense-objects, and who has abandoned all taste for dharma—if he truly dies here in this sacred field, he does not enter saṃsāra again.”
Suta Goswami (narrating the kshetra-mahātmya to the sages of Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
FAQs
It proclaims the extraordinary liberating power (anugraha) of Shiva’s sacred kṣetra: even one lacking dharmic inclination can be freed from rebirth if death occurs there, emphasizing Shiva as Pati who can sever bondage beyond ordinary karma.
In Kotirudrasaṃhitā, the kṣetra is sanctified by Shiva’s Jyotirlinga presence (Saguna manifestation). The verse implies that proximity to the Linga-kṣetra and Shiva’s grace can override the devotee’s deficiencies, culminating in liberation rather than return to saṃsāra.
A practical takeaway is kṣetra-yātrā (pilgrimage) with Shiva-smaraṇa: worship of the Jyotirlinga with mantra-japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), along with traditional aids like bhasma (Tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa as supports for remembrance at life’s end.