Shiva Purana — Kotirudra Samhita, Shloka 51
अविमुक्तक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य
The Greatness of Avimukta–Vārāṇasī and Viśveśvara
तदा सर्वाणि पापानि भस्मसाच्च भवंति हि । तस्मात्काशीं नरस्सेवेत्कर्मनिर्मूलनीं ध्रुवम्
tadā sarvāṇi pāpāni bhasmasācca bhavaṃti hi | tasmātkāśīṃ narassevetkarmanirmūlanīṃ dhruvam
Khi ấy, mọi tội lỗi quả thật đều hóa thành tro bụi. Vì vậy, con người nên một lòng nương tựa và phụng sự Kāśī, bởi nơi ấy chắc chắn nhổ bật nghiệp từ tận gốc rễ.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Kāśī is praised as karmanirmūlanī—able not merely to lessen pāpa but to burn it to bhasma, implying a radical severing of karmic roots through Śiva’s grace operative in His kṣetra.
Significance: Assurance of pāpa-kṣaya and karmic uprooting through devotion to Kāśī/Viśveśvara; supports the Siddhānta emphasis that bondage is removed ultimately by Śiva’s anugraha.
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse declares Kāśī to be a uniquely sanctifying Shaiva kṣetra where pāpa (sin) is ‘burned to ash,’ emphasizing Shiva’s grace that dissolves karmic bondage and supports liberation-oriented living.
Kāśī is celebrated as Shiva’s own abode where Saguna worship—darśana, pūjā, japa, and kṣetra-sevā—becomes especially potent; by approaching Shiva in a tangible, devotional form, the devotee’s karmic impressions are purified and loosened.
The practical takeaway is kṣetra-sevā: living in or pilgrimaging to Kāśī with Shaiva discipline—Linga-pūjā, Panchakshara japa (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and purity practices such as bhasma/tripuṇḍra—aimed at karmic cleansing and moksha.