Shloka 50
अविमुक्तक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य
The Greatness of Avimukta–Vārāṇasī and Viśveśvara
पूर्वं चैव कृता काशी पश्चात्पापं समाचरेत् । तद्बीजेन बलवता नीयते काशिका पुनः
pūrvaṃ caiva kṛtā kāśī paścātpāpaṃ samācaret | tadbījena balavatā nīyate kāśikā punaḥ
ผู้ใดได้บุญแห่งกาศีก่อน แล้วภายหลังทำบาป ด้วยเมล็ดพันธุ์อันทรงพลังจากบุญสัมผัสเดิมนั้น เขาย่อมถูกนำกลับไปสู่กาศีอีกครั้ง
Suta Goswami (narrating the Kotirudra teachings to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Kāśī is Śiva’s eternal kṣetra where His saving presence and the ‘seed’ (bīja) of prior contact with the dhāma continues to draw the jīva back even after later lapses; the kṣetra-saṃskāra is portrayed as stronger than subsequent pāpa and becomes a cause for renewed return to the liberating field.
Significance: Kṣetra-saṃskāra: prior pilgrimage/residence creates a lasting merit-imprint that repeatedly reorients the bound soul toward Śiva’s liberating sphere, supporting eventual release from bondage.
FAQs
It teaches that contact with Kāśī—Śiva’s liberating kṣetra—plants a powerful saṃskāra (seed of merit) that can draw a soul back to the path even after later wrongdoing, emphasizing Śiva’s grace and the momentum of prior devotion.
Kāśī is upheld in the Kotirudra context as a foremost Śiva-kṣetra linked with Jyotirlinga devotion; returning to Kāśī implies returning to Saguna Śiva worship—darśana, pūjā, and remembrance—through which pāpa is weakened and liberation-oriented devotion is restored.
The takeaway is to renew one’s connection to Śiva through pilgrimage or remembrance: repeat the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), perform Linga-pūjā, and maintain Śiva-smaraṇa so the earlier ‘seed’ of devotion becomes active and leads one back to dharma.