Shloka 52
अविमुक्तक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य
The Greatness of Avimukta–Vārāṇasī and Viśveśvara
एकोऽपि ब्राह्मणो येन काश्यां संवासितः प्रिये । काशीवासमवाप्यैव ततो मुक्तिं स विंदति
eko'pi brāhmaṇo yena kāśyāṃ saṃvāsitaḥ priye | kāśīvāsamavāpyaiva tato muktiṃ sa viṃdati
Wahai kekasih, walaupun seseorang hanya menyebabkan seorang brāhmaṇa sahaja tinggal di Kāśī, dengan memperoleh pahala ‘berdiam di Kāśī’ itu juga, kemudian dia mencapai pembebasan (moksha).
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Śiva teaches Pārvatī that even facilitating a brāhmaṇa’s residence in Kāśī yields mokṣa—highlighting the kṣetra’s salvific power and the merit of enabling dharma-supporting presence in Śiva’s city.
Significance: Dāna/saṃvāsa-sevā: supporting a worthy resident in Kāśī is treated as participation in the kṣetra’s liberating economy, culminating in mokṣa by Śiva’s favor.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It teaches that supporting a brāhmaṇa’s residence in Kāśī is a powerful act of dharma and devotion, because Kāśī is Shiva’s own sacred field where the bondage of pāśa is loosened and mokṣa becomes attainable through Shiva’s grace.
Kāśī is celebrated as Shiva’s living sacred domain where Saguna Shiva is approached through pilgrimage, temple worship, and service; such acts, done with bhakti, are treated as direct offerings to Shiva (often centered on Linga worship) that mature into liberation.
The verse points to dāna and sevā—helping a worthy brāhmaṇa or devotee to stay in Kāśī—along with Kāśī-vāsa supported by Shiva-oriented practices like japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and regular worship.