विष्णूत्पत्तिवर्णनम्
Description of the Origin/Manifestation of Viṣṇu
अस्यानन्दवनं नाम पुराकारि पिनाकिना । क्षेत्रस्यानंदहेतुत्वादविमुक्तमनंतरम्
asyānandavanaṃ nāma purākāri pinākinā | kṣetrasyānaṃdahetutvādavimuktamanaṃtaram
この聖なる林は、かつてピナーカを持つピナーキー(弓ピナーカを携える主シヴァ)によって造られたゆえ、「アーナンダヴァナ(Ānandavana)」と呼ばれる。さらにこの聖域が霊的歓喜の因となるため、無始以来「アヴィムクタ(Avimukta)」—「シヴァに決して捨てられぬ地」—とも称される。
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Pinākin
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Śiva (Pinākī) is said to have fashioned the grove called Ānandavana; because it causes ānanda and is never abandoned, it is also known as Avimukta—establishing Kāśī’s sanctity as divinely founded.
Significance: Pilgrimage to Ānandavana/Avimukta is praised for producing spiritual bliss and culminating in liberation through Śiva’s abiding presence.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
It declares the kṣetra as Ānandavana because it generates ānanda (spiritual bliss) and as Avimukta because Śiva never abandons it—signifying a place where liberation-oriented grace and remembrance of Śiva are especially accessible.
By naming the kṣetra through Śiva’s act and presence, the verse supports Saguna Śiva worship: devotees approach Śiva as personally present in a holy field, commonly honored through Liṅga-pūjā, mantra, and pilgrimage.
Pilgrimage with steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and focused Liṅga-darśana/arcana is implied as a direct way to align with the kṣetra’s ānanda-producing power and Śiva’s unforsaking presence.