Shloka 7
अविमुक्तक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य
The Greatness of Avimukta–Vārāṇasī and Viśveśvara
इदं गुह्यतमं क्षेत्रं सदा वाराणसी मम । सर्वेषामेव जंतूनां हेतुर्मोक्षस्य सर्वथा
idaṃ guhyatamaṃ kṣetraṃ sadā vārāṇasī mama | sarveṣāmeva jaṃtūnāṃ heturmokṣasya sarvathā
“This is My most secret and supremely hidden sacred field—Varanasi, ever Mine. For all living beings, it is in every way a direct cause of liberation (moksha).”
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Kāśī/Avimukta is proclaimed Śiva’s guhyatama kṣetra—‘ever Mine’—functioning as a universal hetu for mokṣa; the kṣetra is treated as a standing field of Śiva’s liberating presence.
Significance: Residence, death, or sincere worship in Avimukta is extolled as uniquely conducive to liberation through Śiva’s special grace.
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse proclaims Kashi (Varanasi) as Shiva’s most esoteric kshetra where His grace operates as a powerful, direct means to moksha for all beings, emphasizing liberation through proximity to Shiva’s sacred presence.
In Kotirudrasaṃhitā, sacred geography supports Saguna Shiva worship—approaching Shiva through His manifest presence in a kshetra and through Linga devotion—so that the devotee’s bonds (pāśa) are loosened by Shiva’s saving grace (pati-anugraha).
Pilgrimage and steady Shiva-bhakti in Kashi—Linga-darśana, japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and worship with bhasma and rudraksha—are implied as supportive practices aligned with the kshetra’s moksha-bestowing power.