जिह्वाग्रे वर्तते यस्य काशीत्यक्षरयुग्मकम् । न तस्य गर्भवासः स्यात्क्वचिदेव सुमेधसः
jihvāgre vartate yasya kāśītyakṣarayugmakam | na tasya garbhavāsaḥ syātkvacideva sumedhasaḥ
Pour l’homme vraiment clairvoyant, sur le bout de la langue duquel demeure le mot disyllabique « Kāśī », il n’y aura plus jamais séjour dans le sein, en aucun temps.
Śiva (in the Kāśī-stavana context)
Tirtha: Kāśī (as mantra-nāma)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Close focus on a devotee’s lips and tongue-tip where the syllables ‘Kā-śī’ appear as luminous letters; behind, a faint wheel of saṃsāra breaks, symbolizing the end of rebirth.
Constant remembrance and utterance of Kāśī’s name is portrayed as a direct means to freedom from rebirth.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), whose very name is treated as salvific.
Nāma-japa/constant utterance—keeping “Kāśī” on the tongue.