Shloka 65
भैरवावतारवर्णनम् (Bhairavāvatāra-varṇanam) — “Description of the Descent/Manifestation of Bhairava”
सर्वत्र ते प्रवेशोऽस्ति त्यक्त्वा वाराणसीं पुरीम् । वाराणसीं यदा गच्छेत्तन्मुक्तां भव तत्क्षणात्
sarvatra te praveśo'sti tyaktvā vārāṇasīṃ purīm | vārāṇasīṃ yadā gacchettanmuktāṃ bhava tatkṣaṇāt
“You may enter everywhere, leaving aside the city of Vārāṇasī. But the very moment you go to Vārāṇasī, be liberated at once (mukti).”
Lord Shiva (speaking the glory of Kāśī/Vārāṇasī as a direct means to moksha)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Kāśī is declared the exception to universal karmic access: all forces (including sin and death) may enter everywhere except Kāśī; upon entering Kāśī, the pursuing bondage is compelled to dissolve—symbolizing immediate mokṣa under Viśveśvara.
Significance: Kāśī-kṣetra is presented as a direct mokṣa-kṣetra: entry itself (or dying there in broader tradition) results in liberation through Śiva’s anugraha.
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Annapūrṇā
Role: liberating
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It proclaims Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as Shiva’s supreme liberating kṣetra, where bondage (pāśa) is cut by the Lord’s grace and the soul attains moksha immediately upon reaching the sacred domain.
Kāśī is revered as the living field of Saguna Shiva—where Linga worship, darśana, and remembrance of Shiva are intensified; the verse emphasizes that Shiva’s manifest presence in this kṣetra uniquely grants liberation.
Undertake a Kāśī-yātrā with Shiva-bhakti: perform Linga-pūjā, japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and steady remembrance of Shiva; these practices align the pilgrim with the liberating grace attributed to Vārāṇasī.