Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 49
सर्वेश्वर-परमकारण-निरूपणम् / The Supreme Lord as the Uncaused Cause
स एव भवतः श्रेयः सोपायं कथयिष्यति । ततो वाराणसी पुण्या पुरी परमशोभना
sa eva bhavataḥ śreyaḥ sopāyaṃ kathayiṣyati | tato vārāṇasī puṇyā purī paramaśobhanā
Lui seul te révélera ce qui est véritablement ton bien suprême, ainsi que le moyen de l’atteindre. Ensuite est décrite Vārāṇasī, la cité sainte, d’une splendeur et d’une beauté suprêmes.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Viśvanātha
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is praised as Śiva’s own city where He grants the highest good (śreyas) and teaches the upāya; the kṣetra is famed for bestowing liberation through Śiva’s abiding presence as Viśveśvara.
Significance: Darśana of Viśvanātha and residence/antyeṣṭi in Kāśī are traditionally held to confer mokṣa by Śiva’s special grace (kṣetra-anugraha).
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Annapūrṇā
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse frames liberation-oriented teaching: the true śreyas (highest good) must be taught along with its upāya (effective means), and it introduces Kashi as a uniquely sanctifying Shaiva setting for such instruction and attainment.
By pointing toward Vārāṇasī, it implicitly connects śreyas to Saguna Shiva worship in a premier Shaiva kṣetra, where devotion to Shiva—often centered on the Linga—becomes a practical upāya supporting grace (anugraha) and release from bondage.
The verse itself emphasizes receiving the right upāya; in the Kashi context this commonly means Shaiva sādhana such as japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), temple/Linga worship, and disciplined pilgrimage observances aligned to Shiva’s grace.