Shloka 47
अविमुक्तक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य
The Greatness of Avimukta–Vārāṇasī and Viśveśvara
पूर्वजन्मकृतं चेद्वै काशीदर्शनमादरात् । तदा काशीं च संप्राप्य लभेन्मृत्युं न चान्यथा
pūrvajanmakṛtaṃ cedvai kāśīdarśanamādarāt | tadā kāśīṃ ca saṃprāpya labhenmṛtyuṃ na cānyathā
పూర్వజన్మలో భక్తితో కాశీ దర్శన పుణ్యం సంపాదించి ఉంటే, ఈ జన్మలో కాశీని చేరి అక్కడే మరణం పొందుతాడు; ఇతరథా కాదు. (అది శివకృపతో మోక్షమార్గప్రదమని భావిస్తారు.)
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya, within the Kotirudrasaṃhitā’s Jyotirlinga pilgrimage discourse)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Merit from prior births ripens as access to Kāśī; dying in Kāśī is portrayed as Śiva-arranged culmination (mṛtyu in kṣetra) leading toward release from saṃsāra.
Significance: Kāśī-maraṇa is treated as a privileged passage under Śiva’s guardianship, implying final purification and proximity to mokṣa.
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse teaches that reaching Kāśī and attaining one’s final moment there is not random but ripens from prior-life devotional merit (kāśī-darśana). In the Kotirudra context, death in Kāśī is portrayed as Shiva’s special grace that directs the soul toward liberation.
Kotirudrasaṃhitā emphasizes Jyotirlinga pilgrimage; Kāśī is identified with Lord Shiva as Viśvanātha. The verse supports Saguna Shiva worship through sacred place (kṣetra) and Linga-darśana, where Shiva’s presence is accessed through pilgrimage, devotion, and remembrance.
It implies reverent Kāśī-darśana (pilgrimage with devotion) and sustained bhakti so that prior merit matures; practically, one may support this with regular japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and Linga-darśana intentions, especially when undertaking Jyotirlinga yatra.