Shloka 9

The Greatness of Avimukta (Kāśī/Vārāṇasī) and the Doctrine of Liberation-in-One-Life

Devanagari script

परं गुह्यतमं क्षेत्रं मम वाराणसी पुरी । सर्वेषामेव भूतानां संसारार्णवतारिणी

Transliteration

paraṃ guhyatamaṃ kṣetraṃ mama vārāṇasī purī | sarveṣāmeva bhūtānāṃ saṃsārārṇavatāriṇī

Translation

Minha cidade de Vārāṇasī é o campo sagrado supremo e mais secreto; para todos os seres, ela é a que os faz atravessar o oceano da existência mundana.

Word by Word

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (क्षेत्रम्)

• गुह्यतमम्: most secret
• गुह्यतमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुह्य (प्रातिपदिक) + तमप् (तद्धित; superlative)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (क्षेत्रम्)

• क्षेत्रम्: sacred field/holy place
• क्षेत्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वाराणसी: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसी: Samanaadhikarana (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नाम

• पुरी: city
• पुरी: Samanaadhikarana (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समानाधिकरणम् (वाराणसी)

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (indeed/only)

• भूतानाम्: of beings
• भूतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• संसारार्णवतारिणी: the one that ferries across the ocean of saṃsāra
• संसारार्णवतारिणी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक) + तारिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (संसारार्णवस्य तारिणी) विशेषणम् (वाराणसी/पुरी)

Speaker

Mahādeva (Śiva) (contextual identification; verse is in first person: 'mama vārāṇasī')

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: city

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: सर्वेषामेव = सर्वेषाम् + एव; संसारार्णवतारिणी = संसारार्णव + तारिणी.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī

FAQs

What does this verse teach about Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) in the Padma Purāṇa?

It presents Vārāṇasī as an exceptionally powerful kṣetra—so sacred that it is called the “most secret”—and as a liberating place believed to help beings cross beyond saṃsāra.

What is meant by “saṃsārārṇavatāriṇī” (the crosser of the ocean of saṃsāra)?

It is a metaphor for liberation: saṃsāra is compared to a vast ocean of repeated birth and death, and a saving power (here, the holiness of Kāśī) is described as that which ferries one across to freedom.

Does the verse indicate a specific theological orientation?

Yes. The speaker’s first-person claim—“my Vārāṇasī”—strongly aligns with Śaiva sacred geography, where Kāśī is especially associated with Śiva and liberation.