Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 49
सर्वेश्वर-परमकारण-निरूपणम् / The Supreme Lord as the Uncaused Cause
स एव भवतः श्रेयः सोपायं कथयिष्यति । ततो वाराणसी पुण्या पुरी परमशोभना
sa eva bhavataḥ śreyaḥ sopāyaṃ kathayiṣyati | tato vārāṇasī puṇyā purī paramaśobhanā
അവൻ തന്നെയാണ് നിങ്ങള്ക്ക് പരമ ശ്രേയസ്സും അതിലേക്കുള്ള ഉപായവും പറഞ്ഞു തരുക. അതിനുശേഷം പരമശോഭനമായ പുണ്യപുരിയായ വാരാണസിയുടെ വിവരണം വരുന്നു.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Viśvanātha
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is praised as Śiva’s own city where He grants the highest good (śreyas) and teaches the upāya; the kṣetra is famed for bestowing liberation through Śiva’s abiding presence as Viśveśvara.
Significance: Darśana of Viśvanātha and residence/antyeṣṭi in Kāśī are traditionally held to confer mokṣa by Śiva’s special grace (kṣetra-anugraha).
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Annapūrṇā
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse frames liberation-oriented teaching: the true śreyas (highest good) must be taught along with its upāya (effective means), and it introduces Kashi as a uniquely sanctifying Shaiva setting for such instruction and attainment.
By pointing toward Vārāṇasī, it implicitly connects śreyas to Saguna Shiva worship in a premier Shaiva kṣetra, where devotion to Shiva—often centered on the Linga—becomes a practical upāya supporting grace (anugraha) and release from bondage.
The verse itself emphasizes receiving the right upāya; in the Kashi context this commonly means Shaiva sādhana such as japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), temple/Linga worship, and disciplined pilgrimage observances aligned to Shiva’s grace.