Shloka 19
Viśveśvara-māhātmya and the Nirguṇa–Saguṇa Emergence of Śiva (Śakti–Puruṣa/Prakṛti Discourse)
ब्रह्मांडे कर्मणा बद्धा प्राणिनो मां कथं पुनः । प्राप्स्यंतीति विचिन्त्यैतत्पंचक्रोशी विमोचिता
brahmāṃḍe karmaṇā baddhā prāṇino māṃ kathaṃ punaḥ | prāpsyaṃtīti vicintyaitatpaṃcakrośī vimocitā
یہ سوچ کر کہ کائناتی دائرے میں کرم کے بندھن سے بندھے ہوئے جاندار پھر مجھے کیسے پائیں گے، بھگوان نے ‘پنچکروشی’ نامی نجات بخش مقدس علاقے کو ظاہر فرمایا۔
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Śiva, seeing jīvas bound by karma within the brahmāṇḍa, manifests the liberating kṣetra—Pañcakrośī/Avimukta—so that beings may attain Him; Kāśī becomes the privileged locus of anugraha where bondage is cut.
Significance: Pañcakrośī-yātrā and residence/death in Kāśī are extolled as accelerants to liberation; the kṣetra is portrayed as a direct conduit of Śiva’s grace overcoming karmic pāśa.
Role: liberating
Offering: pushpa
Cosmic Event: karmic bondage within brahmāṇḍa contrasted with kṣetra as a localized ‘exit’ via anugraha
FAQs
It highlights the Shaiva Siddhanta idea that beings (paśu) are bound by karma (pāśa) within the world, and that Shiva (Pati), out of compassion, provides a liberating means—here, the sanctifying Pañcakrośī kshetra—through which grace and purification lead toward attainment of Him.
In Koṭirudrasaṃhitā, liberation is often connected to sacred places and Jyotirlinga-centered devotion; the verse implies that approaching Shiva through consecrated kshetras and Saguna worship (darśana, pūjā, pradakṣiṇā) becomes a practical doorway for karma-bound souls to reach Him.
Undertaking the Pañcakrośī pilgrimage/circumambulation with Shiva-bhakti—supported by mantra-japa (especially “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), worship of the Linga, and disciplined conduct—functions as a purificatory practice aimed at release from karmic bondage.