Shloka 7
अविमुक्तक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य
The Greatness of Avimukta–Vārāṇasī and Viśveśvara
इदं गुह्यतमं क्षेत्रं सदा वाराणसी मम । सर्वेषामेव जंतूनां हेतुर्मोक्षस्य सर्वथा
idaṃ guhyatamaṃ kṣetraṃ sadā vārāṇasī mama | sarveṣāmeva jaṃtūnāṃ heturmokṣasya sarvathā
“Ito ang Aking pinakali lihim at pinakatagong banal na kṣetra—ang Varanasi, na walang hanggan ay Akin. Para sa lahat ng nilalang, ito sa lahat ng paraan ay tuwirang sanhi ng moksha, ang ganap na paglaya.”
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Kāśī/Avimukta is proclaimed Śiva’s guhyatama kṣetra—‘ever Mine’—functioning as a universal hetu for mokṣa; the kṣetra is treated as a standing field of Śiva’s liberating presence.
Significance: Residence, death, or sincere worship in Avimukta is extolled as uniquely conducive to liberation through Śiva’s special grace.
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse proclaims Kashi (Varanasi) as Shiva’s most esoteric kshetra where His grace operates as a powerful, direct means to moksha for all beings, emphasizing liberation through proximity to Shiva’s sacred presence.
In Kotirudrasaṃhitā, sacred geography supports Saguna Shiva worship—approaching Shiva through His manifest presence in a kshetra and through Linga devotion—so that the devotee’s bonds (pāśa) are loosened by Shiva’s saving grace (pati-anugraha).
Pilgrimage and steady Shiva-bhakti in Kashi—Linga-darśana, japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and worship with bhasma and rudraksha—are implied as supportive practices aligned with the kshetra’s moksha-bestowing power.