Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 50

अविमुक्तक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य — काशी-वाराणसी में मोक्ष, लिङ्ग-तीर्थ-मानचित्र, और उपासना-विधि

Devanagari script

कामं भुञ्जन् स्वपन् क्रीडन् कुर्वन् हि विविधाः क्रियाः अविमुक्ते त्यजेत्प्राणान् जन्तुर्मोक्षाय कल्पते

Transliteration

kāmaṃ bhuñjan svapan krīḍan kurvan hi vividhāḥ kriyāḥ avimukte tyajetprāṇān janturmokṣāya kalpate

Translation

即便在享受欲乐、饮食、睡眠、嬉戏并从事种种世间行作之时，若被系缚的众生（jantu）在阿毗穆克塔（Avimukta）舍离命息，便堪为解脱之器——皆由主宰（Pati）湿婆之恩；祂从不舍弃此圣地。

Word by Word

• कामम्: according to desire/with enjoyment

• भुञ्जन्: eating/partaking

• स्वपन्: sleeping

• क्रीडन्: playing/sporting

• कुर्वन्: doing/performing

• हि: indeed

• विविधाः: various

• क्रियाः: actions/activities

• अविमुक्ते: in Avimukta (Shiva’s unforsaken kshetra, Kāśī)

• त्यजेत्: should abandon/give up

• प्राणान्: the life-breaths/vital airs

• जन्तुः: embodied being (pashu/jiva)

• मोक्षाय: for liberation

• कल्पते: becomes fit/is qualified.

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Linga Purana’s Avimukta-mahatmya to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It teaches that Shiva’s kshetra (Avimukta/Kāśī) carries a unique liberating potency: even an ordinary life immersed in worldly acts can culminate in moksha if the pashu departs there under the shelter of Pati—reinforcing kshetra-sevā and Shiva-bhakti as direct supports to liberation.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Shiva is implied as Avimukta—“the Unabandoning One”—Pati who remains present and gracious in that abode, capable of cutting pasha (bondage) at the moment of death, making the jiva fit for moksha beyond mere karmic qualification.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Kshetra-niṣṭhā (abiding in Shiva’s sacred place) and anta-kāla-smaraṇa supported by Shiva-bhakti: the verse emphasizes the salvific role of dying in Avimukta, a Shaiva practice aligned with Pashupata orientation toward Pati’s grace rather than worldly renunciation alone.