Shloka 20
Viśveśvara-māhātmya and the Nirguṇa–Saguṇa Emergence of Śiva (Śakti–Puruṣa/Prakṛti Discourse)
इयं च शुभदा लोके कर्म नाशकरी मता । मोक्षप्रकाशिका काशी ज्ञानदा मम सुप्रिया
iyaṃ ca śubhadā loke karma nāśakarī matā | mokṣaprakāśikā kāśī jñānadā mama supriyā
ഈ കാശി ലോകത്തിൽ ശുഭദായിനിയാണ്; കർമ്മബന്ധനം നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നതെന്ന് കരുതപ്പെടുന്നു. കാശി മോക്ഷമാർഗം പ്രകാശിപ്പിക്കുന്നു, സത്യജ്ഞാനം നൽകുന്നു, എനിക്കതിപ്രിയമാണ്।
Lord Shiva (addressing the listener within the Kotirudra narrative on the Jyotirlinga/pilgrimage glory)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Kāśī (Avimukta) is proclaimed by Śiva as His most beloved kṣetra: it destroys karmic bondage, illumines mokṣa, and grants jñāna—hence it is the paradigmatic ‘anugraha-sthāna’ where pāśa is weakened and release is made accessible.
Significance: Merit of residence, darśana, and death in Kāśī; performance of Pañcakrośī-yātrā and worship of Viśvanātha is said to hasten liberation and confer jñāna.
Type: stotra
Role: teaching
Offering: pushpa
Cosmic Event: kṣetra as a ‘mokṣa-prakāśa’ zone within saṃsāra—grace breaking karmic continuity
FAQs
The verse declares Kāśī as a Shaiva mokṣa-kṣetra: it purifies and dissolves binding karma, awakens liberating knowledge (jñāna), and thus “illumines” the path to release under Shiva’s grace (Pati’s anugraha).
In Kotirudra context, sacred places and Jyotirlinga-centered worship are Saguna pathways where Shiva is approached through form, shrine, and kṣetra; Kāśī is praised as especially effective for turning devotion into jñāna that culminates in mokṣa.
A practical takeaway is Kāśī-vāsa or pilgrimage with Shiva-bhakti: Linga-darśana, japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and contemplation on karma’s dissolution leading to jñāna and liberation.