Shloka 20
Viśvānara-Gṛhapati Upākhyāna — Śivasya Agni-gṛhe Avatāraḥ
The Account of Viśvānara Gṛhapati and Śiva’s Descent into the House of Fire
प्राप्य वाराणसीं तूर्णं दृष्ट्वा ताम्मणिकर्णिकाम् । तत्याज तापत्रितयमपि जन्मशतार्जितम्
prāpya vārāṇasīṃ tūrṇaṃ dṛṣṭvā tāmmaṇikarṇikām | tatyāja tāpatritayamapi janmaśatārjitam
Having swiftly reached Vārāṇasī and beholding that Maṇikarṇikā, he cast off even the threefold afflictions—accumulated through hundreds of births—by the grace inherent in that sacred Śaiva tīrtha.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Maṇikarṇikā in Kāśī is presented as a Śaiva tīrtha whose mere darśana effects profound purification—here, the shedding of tāpa-traya accumulated over many births—implying the kṣetra as a concentrated field of Śiva’s grace.
Significance: Darśana of Maṇikarṇikā and Kāśī-kṣetra is said to dissolve the threefold afflictions (ādhyātmika/ādhibhautika/ādhidaivika), signaling pāśa-kṣaya and readiness for higher bhakti/jñāna.
Role: liberating
FAQs
It declares Kāśī–Maṇikarṇikā as a uniquely Śaiva liberating field where the accumulated threefold miseries of countless births are dissolved through proximity to Shiva’s sacred presence.
Vārāṇasī is portrayed as a living domain of Saguna Shiva where darśana of the holy tīrtha functions like darśana of Shiva’s grace—purifying karmic burdens and turning the mind toward liberation.
Pilgrimage with Śiva-smaraṇa (remembrance of Shiva) and tīrtha-darśana is implied; a practical takeaway is to combine Kāśī-yātrā (or mental pilgrimage) with japa of the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya.”