Chapter 23

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ṛṣaya ūcuḥ |
evaṃ vārāṇasī puṇyā yadi sūta mahāpurī |
tatprabhāvaṃ vadāsmākamavimuktasya ca prabho || 1 ||
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sūta uvāca |
vakṣye saṃkṣepatassamyagvārāṇasyāssuśobhanam |
viśveśvarasya māhātmyaṃ śrūyatāṃ ca munīśvarāḥ || 2 ||
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kadācitpārvatī devī śaṅkaraṃ parayā mudā |
lokakāmanayāpṛcchanmāhātmyamavimuktayoḥ || 3 ||
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pārvatyuvāca |
asya kṣetrasya māhātmyaṃ vaktumarhasya śeṣataḥ |
mamopari kṛpāṃ kṛtvā lokānāṃ hitakāmyayā || 4 ||
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sūta uvāca |
devyāstadvacanaṃ śrutvā devadevo jagatprabhuḥ |
pratyuvāca bhavānīṃ tāṃ jīvānāṃ priyahetave || 5 ||
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parameśvara uvāca |
sādhu pṛṣṭaṃ tvayā bhadre lokānāṃ sukhadaṃ śubham |
kathayāmi yathārthaṃ vai mahā tmyamavimuktayoḥ || 6 ||
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idaṃ guhyatamaṃ kṣetraṃ sadā vārāṇasī mama |
sarveṣāmeva jaṃtūnāṃ heturmokṣasya sarvathā || 7 ||
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asminsiddhāssadā kṣetre madīyaṃ vratamāśritāḥ |
nānāliṃgadharā nityaṃ mama lokābhikāṃkṣiṇaḥ || 8 ||
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abhyasyaṃti mahāyogaṃ jitātmāno jitendriyāḥ |
paraṃ pāśupataṃ śrautaṃ bhuktimuktiphalapradam || 9 ||
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rocate me sadā vāso vārāṇasyāṃ maheśvari |
hetunā yena sarvāṇi vihāya śṛṇu taddhruvam || 10 ||
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yo me bhaktaśca vijñānī tāvubhau muktibhāginau |
tīrthāpekṣā ca na tayorvihitā vihite samau || 11 ||
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jīvanmuktau tu tau jñeyau yatrakutrāpi vai mṛtau |
prāpnuto mokṣamāśveva mayoktaṃ niścitaṃ vacaḥ || 12 ||
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atra tīrthe viśeṣostyavimuktākhye parottame |
śrūyatāṃ tattvayā devi paraśakte sucittayā || 13 ||
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sarve varṇā āśramāśca bālayauvanavārddhakāḥ |
asyāṃ puryāṃ mṛtāścettsyurmuktā eva na saṃśayaḥ || 14 ||
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aśuciśca śucirvāpi kanyā pariṇatā tathā |
vidhavā vātha vā vaṃdhyā rajodoṣayutāpi vā || 15 ||
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prasūtā saṃskṛtā kāpi yādṛśī tādṛśī dvijāḥ |
atra kṣetre mṛtā cetsyānmokṣabhāṅ nātra saṃśayaḥ || 16 ||
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svedajaścāṃḍajo vāpi dyudbhijjo'tha jarāyujaḥ |
mṛto mokṣamavāpnoti yathātra na tathā kvacit || 17 ||
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jñānāpekṣā na cātraiva bhattayapekṣā na vai punaḥ |
karmāpekṣā na devyatra dānāpekṣā na caiva hi || 18 ||
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saṃskṛtyapekṣā naivātra dhyānāpekṣā na karhicit |
nāmāpekṣārcanāpekṣā sujātīnāṃ tathātra na || 19 ||
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mama kṣetre mokṣade hi yo vā vasati mānavaḥ |
 yathā tathā mṛtaḥ syāccenmokṣamāpnoti niścitam || 20 ||
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etanmama puraṃ divyaṃ guhyādguhyataraṃ priye |
brahmādayo'pi jānaṃti māhātmyaṃ nāsya pārvati || 21 ||
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mahatkṣetramidaṃ tasmādavimuktamiti smṛtam |
sarvebhyo naimiṣādibhyaḥ paraṃ mokṣapradaṃ mṛte || 22 ||
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dharmasyopaniṣatsatyaṃ mokṣasyopaniṣatsamam |
kṣetratīrthopaniṣadamavimuktaṃ vidurbudhāḥ || 23 ||
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kāmaṃ bhuṃjansvapankrīḍankurvanhi vividhāḥ kriyāḥ |
avimukte tyajanprāṇāñjaṃturmokṣāya kalpate || 24 ||
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kṛtvā pāpasahasrāṇi piśācatvaṃ varaṃ nṛṇām |
na ca kratusahasratvaṃ svarge kāśīṃ purīṃ vinā || 25 ||
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tasmātsarvaprayatnena sevyate kāśikā purī |
avyaktaliṃgaṃ munibhirdhyāyate ca sadāśivaḥ || 26 ||
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yadyatphalaṃ samuddiśya tapantyatra naraḥ priye |
tebhyaścāhaṃ praya cchāmi samyaktattatphalaṃ dhuvam || 27 ||
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sāyujyamātmanaḥ paścādīpsitaṃ sthānameva ca |
na kutaścitkarmabaṃdhastyajatāmatra vai tanum || 28 ||
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brahmā devarṣibhissārddhaṃ viṣṇurvāpi divākaraḥ |
upāsate mahātmānassarve māmiha cāpare || 29 ||
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viṣayāsaktacitto'pi tyakta dharmarucirnaraḥ |
iha kṣetre mṛto yo vai saṃsāraṃ na punarviśet || 30 ||
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kiṃ punarnirmamā dhīrāsattvasthā daṃbhavarjitāḥ |
kṛtinaśca nirāraṃbhāssarve te mayi bhāvitāḥ || 31 ||
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janmāṃtarasahasreṣu janma yogī samāpnuyāt |
tadihaiva paraṃ mokṣaṃ maraṇādadhigacchati || 32 ||
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atra liṃgānyanekāni bhaktaissaṃsthāpitāni hi |
sarvakāmapradānīha mokṣadāni ca pārvati || 33 ||
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paṃcakrośaṃ caturdikṣu kṣetrametatprakīrtitam |
samaṃtācca tathā jaṃtormṛtikāle'mṛtapradam || 34 ||
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apāpaśca mṛto yo vai sadyo mokṣaṃ samaśnute |
sapāpaśca mṛtau yassyātkāyavyūhānsamaśnute || 35 ||
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yātanāṃ sonubhūyaiva paścānmokṣamavāpnuyāt |
pātakaṃ yo'vimuktākhye kṣetre'sminkurute dhruvam || 36 ||
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bhairavīṃ yātanāṃ prāpya varṣāṇāmayute punaḥ |
tato mokṣamavāpnoti bhuktvā pāpaṃ ca sundari || 37 ||
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iti te ca samākhyātā pāpācāre ca yā gatiḥ |
evaṃ jñātvā narassamyaksevayedavimuktakam || 38 ||
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kṛtakarmakṣayo nāsti kalpakoṭiśatairapi |
avaśyameva bhoktavyaṃ kṛtaṃ karma śubhāśubham || 39 ||
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kevalaṃ cāśubhaṃ karma narakāya bhavediha |
śubhaṃ svargāya jāyeta dvābhyāṃ mānuṣyamīritam || 40 ||
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janma samyagasamyak ca nyūnādhikye bhavediha |
ubhayośca kṣayo muktirbhavetsatyaṃ hi pārvati || 41 ||
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karma ca trividhaṃ proktaṃ karmakāṇḍe maheśvari |
saṃcitaṃ kriyamāṇaṃ ca prārabdhaṃ ceti baṃdhakṛt || 42 ||
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pūrvajanmasamudbhūtaṃ saṃcitaṃ samudāhṛtam |
bhujyate ca śarīreṇa prārabdhaṃ parikīrtitam || 43 ||
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janmanā yacca kriyate karma sāṃpratam |
śubhāśubhaṃ ca deveśi kriyamāṇaṃ vidurbudhāḥ || 44 ||
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prārabdhakarmaṇo bhogātkṣayaścaiva cānyathā |
upāyena dvayornāśaḥ karmaṇoḥ pūjanādinā || 45 ||
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sarveṣāṃ karmaṇāṃ nāśo nāsti kāśīṃ purīṃ vinā |
sarvaṃ ca sulabhaṃ tīrthaṃ durllabhā kāśikā purī || 46 ||
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pūrvajanmakṛtaṃ cedvai kāśīdarśanamādarāt |
tadā kāśīṃ ca saṃprāpya labhenmṛtyuṃ na cānyathā || 47 ||
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kāśīṃ prāpya naro yastu gaṃgāyāṃ snānamācaret |
tadā ca kriyamāṇasya saṃcitasyāpi saṃkṣayaḥ || 48 ||
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prārabdhaṃ na vinā bhogo naśya tīti suniścitam |
mṛtiśca tasya saṃjātā tadā tasya kṣayo bhavet || 49 ||
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pūrvaṃ caiva kṛtā kāśī paścātpāpaṃ samācaret |
tadbījena balavatā nīyate kāśikā punaḥ || 50 ||
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tadā sarvāṇi pāpāni bhasmasācca bhavaṃti hi |
tasmātkāśīṃ narassevetkarmanirmūlanīṃ dhruvam || 51 ||
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eko'pi brāhmaṇo yena kāśyāṃ saṃvāsitaḥ priye |
kāśīvāsamavāpyaiva tato muktiṃ sa viṃdati || 52 ||
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kāśyāṃ yo vai mṛtaścaiva tasya janma punarnahi |
samuddiśya prayāge ca mṛtasya kāmanāphale || 53 ||
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saṃyogaśca tayoścetsyātkāśījanyaphalaṃ vṛthā |
yadi na syāttayoryogastīrtharājaphalaṃ vṛthā || 54 ||
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tasmānmacchāsanādviṣṇussṛṣṭiṃ sākṣāddhi nūtanām |
vidhāya manasoddiṣṭāṃ tatsiddhiṃ yacchati dhruvam || 55 ||
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sūta uvāca |
ityādi bahumāhātmyaṃ kāśyāṃ vai munisattamāḥ |
tathā viśveśvarasyāpi bhuktimuktipradaṃ satām || 56 ||
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ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣyāmi māhātmyaṃ tryaṃbakasya ca |
yacchrutvā sarvapāpebhyo mucyate mānavaḥ kṣaṇāt || 57 ||
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iti śrīśivamahāpurāṇe caturthyāṃ koṭirudrasaṃhitāyāṃ kāśīviśveśvarajyotirliṅgamāhātmyavarṇanaṃnāmatrayoviṃśodhyāya || 23 ||
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