Chapter 33

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yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
vārāṇasyāśca māhātmyaṃ saṃkṣepātkathitaṃ tvayā |
vistareṇa mune brūhi tadā prīṇāti me manaḥ || 1 ||
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nārada uvāca |
atretihāsaṃ vakṣyāmi vārāṇasyā guṇāśrayam |
yasya śravaṇamātreṇa mucyate brahmahatyayā || 2 ||
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meruśṛṃge purā devamīśānaṃ tripuradviṣam |
devāsanagatā devī mahādevamapṛcchata || 3 ||
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devyuvāca |
devadeva mahādeva bhaktānāmārtināśana |
kathaṃ tvāṃ puruṣo devamacirādeva paśyati || 4 ||
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sāṃkhyayogastathā dhyānaṃ karmayogo'tha vaidikaḥ |
āyāsabahulā loke yāni cānyāni śaṃkara || 5 ||
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yena viśrāṃtacittānāṃ yogināṃ karmiṇāmapi |
dṛśyo hi bhagavānsūkṣmaḥ sarveṣāmatha dehinām || 6 ||
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etadguhyatamaṃ jñānaṃ gūḍhaṃ śakrādisevitam |
hitāya sarvabhūtānāṃ brūhi kāmāgnināśanam || 7 ||
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īśvara uvāca |
avācyamatra vijñānaṃ jñānamajñairbahiṣkṛtam |
vakṣye tava yathātattvaṃ yaduktaṃ paramarṣibhiḥ || 8 ||
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paraṃ guhyatamaṃ kṣetraṃ mama vārāṇasī purī |
sarveṣāmeva bhūtānāṃ saṃsārārṇavatāriṇī || 9 ||
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tatra bhaktyā mahādevi madīyaṃ vratamāsthitāḥ |
nivasaṃti mahātmānaḥ paraṃ niyamamāsthitāḥ || 10 ||
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uttamaṃ sarvatīrthānāṃ sthānānāmuttamaṃ ca yat |
jñānānāmuttamaṃ jñānamavimuktaṃ paraṃ mama || 11 ||
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sthānāṃtara pavitrāṇi tīrthānyāyatanāni ca |
śmaśānasaṃsthitānyeva divyabhūmigatāni ca || 12 ||
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bhūrloke naiva saṃlagnamaṃtarikṣe mamālayam |
amuktāstatra paśyaṃti muktāḥ paśyaṃti cetasā || 13 ||
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śmaśānametadvikhyātamavimuktamiti śrutam |
kālo bhūtvā jagadidaṃ saṃharāmyatra suṃdari || 14 ||
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devīdaṃ sarvaguhyānāṃ sthānaṃ priyataraṃ mama |
madbhaktāstatra gacchaṃti māmeva praviśaṃti ca || 15 ||
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dattaṃ japtaṃ hutaṃ ceṣṭaṃ tapastaptaṃ kṛtaṃ ca yat |
dhyānamadhyayanaṃ jñānaṃ sarvaṃ tatrākṣayaṃ bhavet || 16 ||
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janmāṃtarasahasreṣu yatpāpaṃ pūrvasaṃcitam |
avimuktaṃ praviṣṭasya tatsarvaṃ vrajati kṣayam || 17 ||
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brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyāḥ śūdrāśca varṇasaṃkarāḥ |
striyo mlecchāśca ye cānye saṃkīrṇāḥ pāpayonayaḥ || 18 ||
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kīṭāḥ pipīlikāścaiva ye cānye mṛgapakṣiṇaḥ |
kālena nidhanaṃ prāptā avimukte varānane || 19 ||
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caṃdrārddhamaulayastryakṣā mahāvṛṣabhavāhanāḥ |
śive mama pure devi jāyaṃte tatra mānavāḥ || 20 ||
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nāvimukte mṛtaḥ kaścinnarakaṃ yāti kilbiṣī |
īśvarānugṛhītā hi sarve yāṃti parāṃ gatim || 21 ||
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mokṣaṃ sudurllabhaṃ matvā saṃsāraṃ cātibhīṣaṇam |
aśmanā caraṇau bhaṃktvā vārāṇasyāṃ vasennaraḥ || 22 ||
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durllabhā tapasā cāpi mṛtasya parameśvari |
yatra tatra vipannasya gatiḥ saṃsāramokṣaṇī || 23 ||
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prasādājjāyate samyakmama śaileṃdranaṃdini |
apravṛddhā na paśyaṃti mama māyāvimohitāḥ || 24 ||
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viṇmūtraretasāṃ madhye te vasaṃti punaḥ punaḥ |
hanyamāno'pi yo vidvānvasedvighnaśatairapi || 25 ||
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sa yāti paramaṃ sthānaṃ yatra gatvā na śocati |
janmamṛtyujarāmuktaṃ paraṃ yāṃti śivālayam || 26 ||
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apunarmaraṇānāṃ hi sā gatirmokṣakāṃkṣiṇām |
yāṃ prāpya kṛtakṛtyaḥ syāditi manyaṃti paṃḍitāḥ || 27 ||
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na dānairna tapobhiśca na yajñairnāpi vidyayā |
prāpyate gatirutkṛṣṭā yāvimukte tu labhyate || 28 ||
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nānāvarṇā vivarṇāśca cāṃḍālādyā jugupsitāḥ |
kilbiṣaiḥ pūrṇadehāśca viśiṣṭaiḥ pātakaistathā || 29 ||
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bheṣajaṃ paramaṃ teṣāmavimuktaṃ vidurbudhāḥ |
avimuktaṃ paraṃ jñānamavimuktaṃ paraṃ padam || 30 ||
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avimuktaṃ paraṃ tattvamavimuktaṃ paraṃ śivam |
kṛtvā vai naiṣṭhikīṃ dīkṣāmavimukte vasaṃti ye || 31 ||
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teṣāṃ tatparamaṃ jñānaṃ dadāmyaṃte paraṃ padam |
prayāgaṃ naimiṣāraṇyaṃ śrīśailo'tha mahābalam || 32 ||
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kedāraṃ bhadrakarṇaṃ tu gayā puṣkarameva ca |
kurukṣetraṃ bhadrakoṭirnarmadāmrātakeśvarī || 33 ||
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śālagrāmaṃ ca kubjāmraṃ kokāmukhamanuttamam |
prabhāsaṃ vijayeśānaṃ gokarṇaṃ bhadrakarṇakam || 34 ||
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etāni puṇyasthānāni trailokye viśrutāni ha |
na yāsyaṃti paraṃ tattvaṃ vārāṇasyāṃ yathā mṛtāḥ || 35 ||
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vārāṇasyāṃ viśeṣeṇa gaṃgā tripathagāminī |
praviṣṭā nāśayetpāpaṃ janmāṃtaraśataiḥ kṛtam || 36 ||
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anyatra sulabhā gaṃgā śrāddhaṃ dānaṃ tapo japaḥ |
vratāni sarvamevaitadvārāṇasyāṃ sudurllabham || 37 ||
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japecca juhuyānnityaṃ dadātyarcayate'marān |
vāyubhakṣaśca satataṃ vārāṇasyāṃ sthito naraḥ || 38 ||
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yadi pāpo yadi śaṭho yadi vā dhārmiko naraḥ |
vārāṇasīṃ samāsādya punāti sakalaṃ kulam || 39 ||
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vārāṇasyāṃ ye'rcayaṃti mahādevaṃ stuvaṃti vai |
sarvapāpavinirmuktāste vijñeyā gaṇeśvarāḥ || 40 ||
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anyatra yogajñānābhyāṃ saṃnyāsādathavānyataḥ |
prāpyate tatparaṃ sthānaṃ sahasreṇaiva janmanām || 41 ||
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ye bhaktā devadeveśi vārāṇasyāṃ vasaṃti vai |
te viṃdaṃti paraṃ mokṣamekenaiva tu janmanā || 42 ||
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yatra yogastathā jñānaṃ muktirekena janmanā |
avimuktaṃ tadāsādya nānyadicchettapovanam || 43 ||
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yato mayā'vimuktaṃ tadavimuktaṃ tataḥ smṛtam |
tadeva guhyaṃ guhyānāmetadvijñānamucyate || 44 ||
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jñānājñānābhiniṣṭhānāṃ paramānaṃdamicchatām |
yāgatirviditā subhrūḥ sāvimukte mṛtasya tu || 45 ||
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yāni caivāvimuktasya dehe dṛṣṭāni kṛtsnaśaḥ |
purī vārāṇasī tebhyaḥ sthānebhyo'pyadhikā śubhā || 46 ||
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yatra sākṣānmahādevo dehāṃte svayamīśvaraḥ |
vyācaṣṭe tārakaṃ brahma tatraiva hyavimuktaye || 47 ||
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yattatparataraṃ tattvamavimuktamiti śrutam |
ekena janmanā devi vārāṇasyāṃ tadāpnuyāt || 48 ||
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bhrūmadhye nābhimadhye ca hṛdaye caiva mūrdhani |
yathāvimuktamāditye vārāṇasyāṃ vyavasthitam || 49 ||
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varaṇāyāstathā cāsyā madhye vārāṇasīpurī |
tatraiva saṃsthitaṃ tattvaṃ nityamevaṃvimuktakam || 50 ||
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vārāṇasyāḥ paraṃ sthānaṃ na bhūtaṃ na bhaviṣyati |
yatra nārāyaṇo devo mahādevo divīśvaraḥ || 51 ||
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tatra devāḥ sagaṃdharvāḥ sayakṣoragarākṣasāḥ |
upāsate yaṃ satataṃ devadevaḥ pitāmahaḥ || 52 ||
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mahāpātakino devi ye tebhyaḥ pāpakṛttamāḥ |
vārāṇasīṃ samāsādya te yāṃti paramāṃ gatim || 53 ||
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tasmānmumukṣurniyato vasedvai maraṇāṃtakam |
vārāṇasyāṃ mahādevājjñānaṃ labdhvā vimucyate || 54 ||
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kiṃtu vighnā bhaviṣyaṃti pāpopahatacetasaḥ |
tato naivācaretpāpaṃ kāyena manasā girā || 55 ||
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etadrahasyaṃ devānāṃ purāṇānāṃ ca suvrate |
avimuktāśrayaṃ jñānaṃ na kaścidvetti tattvataḥ || 56 ||
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nārada uvāca |
devatānāmṛṣīṇāṃ ca śṛṇvatāṃ parameṣṭhinām |
devadevena kathitaṃ sarvapāpavināśanam || 57 ||
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yathānārāyaṇaḥ śreṣṭho devānāṃ puruṣottamaḥ |
yatheśvarāṇāṃ giriśaḥ sthānānāmetaduttamam || 58 ||
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yaiḥ samārādhito rudraḥ pūrvasminnekajanmani |
te vidaṃti paraṃ kṣetramavimuktaṃ śivālayam || 59 ||
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kalikalmaṣasaṃbhūtā yeṣāmupahṛtā matiḥ |
na teṣāṃ vedituṃ śakyaṃ sthānaṃ tatparameṣṭhinaḥ || 60 ||
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ye smaraṃti sadā kālaṃ vadaṃti ca purīmimām |
teṣāṃ vinaśyati kṣipramihāmutra ca pātakam || 61 ||
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yāni ceha prakurvaṃti pātakāni kṛtālayāḥ |
nāśayettāni sarvāṇi devaḥ kālatanuḥ śivaḥ || 62 ||
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āgacchettadidaṃ sthānaṃ sevitaṃ mokṣakāṃkṣibhiḥ |
mṛtānāṃ ca punarjanma na bhūyo bhavasāgare || 63 ||
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tasmātsarvaprayatnena vārāṇasyāṃ vasennaraḥ |
yogī vāpyathavāyogī pāpī vā puṇyakṛttamaḥ || 64 ||
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na lokavacanātpitrorna caiva guruvādataḥ |
matirna kramaṇīyā syādavimuktagatiṃ prati || 65 ||
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iti śrīpādme mahāpurāṇe svargakhaṃḍe trayastriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ || 33 ||
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