Shloka 6
एकादशरुद्रावतारकथनम् / Account of the Eleven Rudra Manifestations
Rudrāvatāras
तानाश्वास्य मुनिस्सोऽथ धैर्यमाधाय शान्तधीः । काशीं जगाम सुप्रीत्या विश्वेश्वरपुरीम्मुने
tānāśvāsya munisso'tha dhairyamādhāya śāntadhīḥ | kāśīṃ jagāma suprītyā viśveśvarapurīmmune
Setelah menenteramkan mereka, sang resi yang berhati tenang meneguhkan ketabahan, lalu dengan sukacita bhakti menuju Kāśī, kota suci Viśveśvara Śiva, wahai muni.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Kāśī is celebrated as Avimukta-kṣetra where Śiva (Viśveśvara/Viśvanātha) never abandons beings; pilgrimage there is portrayed as a direct approach to Śiva’s grace and liberation-bestowing presence.
Significance: Darśana and worship of Viśveśvara in Kāśī is held to destroy sins, grant protection, and (in Kāśī theology) bestow liberating grace through Śiva’s abiding presence.
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Annapūrṇā
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It presents Kāśī as a grace-filled Shaiva kṣetra: after restoring inner steadiness and compassion, the sage turns toward Viśveśvara’s city, implying that liberation-oriented life is grounded in calm mind, reassurance to others, and devotion to Śiva.
Viśveśvara of Kāśī is worshipped in a concrete, accessible (saguṇa) form—especially as the Liṅga—so the journey to Kāśī signifies seeking direct nearness to Śiva’s manifest presence and His bestowal of anugraha (saving grace).
The takeaway is pilgrimage-with-bhakti: approach Kāśī with a composed mind, perform Liṅga-darśana and pūjā (often with bilva), and sustain japa of Śiva’s name—especially the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—as an inner act of steadiness (dhairya).