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
Kung ang isang tao ay unang nakamit ang biyaya ng Kāśī at pagkaraan ay nagkasala, sa makapangyarihang binhi ng naunang kabanalan na iyon siya’y muling inaakay pabalik sa Kāśī.
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.