Shloka 18
नारदप्रश्नवर्णन (Nāradapraśna-varṇana) — “Account of Nārada’s Inquiry”
दृष्ट्वा काशीं कृताऽर्थोभूत्काशीनाथं ददर्श ह । आनर्च परम प्रीत्या परमानन्दसंयुतः
dṛṣṭvā kāśīṃ kṛtā'rthobhūtkāśīnāthaṃ dadarśa ha | ānarca parama prītyā paramānandasaṃyutaḥ
En voyant Kāśī, il se sentit comblé, comme si le but de sa vie était accompli. Puis il contempla le Seigneur de Kāśī (Śiva) et l’adora avec un amour suprême, rempli de la plus haute béatitude.
Sūta Gosvāmī
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Nārada’s ‘kṛtārthatā’ upon seeing Kāśī and then Kāśīnātha reflects the kṣetra’s status as a direct bestower of Śiva’s grace; Viśvanātha is approached as the Lord whose darśana itself completes life’s aim.
Significance: Darśana and arcana of Kāśīnātha are portrayed as producing parama-prīti and paramānanda—devotional culmination and a foretaste of liberation.
Type: stotra
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse presents Kāśī-darśana and Śiva-darśana as life-fulfilling: when devotion culminates in direct reverent worship of the Lord (Pati), the soul tastes paramānanda—an indicator of grace-oriented liberation in Śaiva understanding.
By naming Him “Kāśīnātha,” the verse points to Saguna Śiva approachable through sacred place and worship; in Kāśī this is classically associated with Viśvanātha and Linga-upāsanā—devotion expressed through archana and darśana.
The takeaway is loving archana (pūjā) after darśana—mentally or ritually offering reverence while repeating a Śiva-mantra such as the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” cultivating prīti (devotional love) that ripens into inner bliss.