Shloka 49
अविमुक्तक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य
The Greatness of Avimukta–Vārāṇasī and Viśveśvara
प्रारब्धं न विना भोगो नश्य तीति सुनिश्चितम् । मृतिश्च तस्य संजाता तदा तस्य क्षयो भवेत्
prārabdhaṃ na vinā bhogo naśya tīti suniścitam | mṛtiśca tasya saṃjātā tadā tasya kṣayo bhavet
It is firmly ascertained that prārabdha karma is not destroyed without being experienced as its fruit (bhoga). When, through that very course, death comes to him, then his embodied existence comes to its end.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Kālāntaka
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Reasserts the rule that prārabdha must be exhausted by bhoga; death marks the completion of that prārabdha for the embodied being—especially meaningful in Kāśī where death is framed as Śiva-governed transition.
Significance: Clarifies karmic mechanics: even with tīrtha/puṇya, prārabdha runs its course; liberation is associated with the end of embodiment and Śiva’s grace.
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse emphasizes the Shaiva understanding of karma: prārabdha must be undergone as long as the body lasts, and death marks the termination of that embodied course—prompting the seeker to pursue Shiva-bhakti and liberating knowledge rather than mere worldly striving.
While prārabdha continues until the body falls, devotion to Saguna Shiva through Linga-worship purifies the mind and loosens other karmic bonds (āgāmi/sañcita), orienting the jīva toward Shiva’s grace even as remaining prārabdha plays out.
Steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") with daily Linga-pūjā, Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) dhāraṇa, and Rudrākṣa remembrance supports endurance of prārabdha with detachment and devotion.