Shloka 51
अविमुक्तक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य
The Greatness of Avimukta–Vārāṇasī and Viśveśvara
तदा सर्वाणि पापानि भस्मसाच्च भवंति हि । तस्मात्काशीं नरस्सेवेत्कर्मनिर्मूलनीं ध्रुवम्
tadā sarvāṇi pāpāni bhasmasācca bhavaṃti hi | tasmātkāśīṃ narassevetkarmanirmūlanīṃ dhruvam
ત્યારે ખરેખર સર્વ પાપો ભસ્મ થઈ જાય છે. તેથી મનુષ્યે કાશીની ભક્તિપૂર્વક સેવા કરવી જોઈએ; તે નિશ્ચિતપણે કર્મને મૂળથી ઉખેડે છે.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Kāśī is praised as karmanirmūlanī—able not merely to lessen pāpa but to burn it to bhasma, implying a radical severing of karmic roots through Śiva’s grace operative in His kṣetra.
Significance: Assurance of pāpa-kṣaya and karmic uprooting through devotion to Kāśī/Viśveśvara; supports the Siddhānta emphasis that bondage is removed ultimately by Śiva’s anugraha.
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse declares Kāśī to be a uniquely sanctifying Shaiva kṣetra where pāpa (sin) is ‘burned to ash,’ emphasizing Shiva’s grace that dissolves karmic bondage and supports liberation-oriented living.
Kāśī is celebrated as Shiva’s own abode where Saguna worship—darśana, pūjā, japa, and kṣetra-sevā—becomes especially potent; by approaching Shiva in a tangible, devotional form, the devotee’s karmic impressions are purified and loosened.
The practical takeaway is kṣetra-sevā: living in or pilgrimaging to Kāśī with Shaiva discipline—Linga-pūjā, Panchakshara japa (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and purity practices such as bhasma/tripuṇḍra—aimed at karmic cleansing and moksha.