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
Nếu quả thật trong đời trước người ấy đã tạo được công đức để được chiêm bái Kāśī với lòng kính ngưỡng, thì đời này—khi đến được Kāśī—người ấy sẽ được chết tại đó, chứ không nơi nào khác. Cái chết ở Kāśī được tôn xưng là lối vượt qua do Śiva ban, hướng về giải thoát.
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.