Kashi Vishwanath in 5 Minutes: Avimukta, Jyotirlinga, Vishwanath

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If you ask why people say Shiva never leaves Kashi, the answer is already inside the city's names. In five minutes, here are three of them. Each one opens a door into how Kashi has been understood for a very long time.

### 1. Avimukta: the place that is never left The Kashi Khanda of the Skanda Purana calls Kashi *Avimukta*. The word means "not let go", and the Purana uses it to say that Shiva does not abandon this city, and that those who come here are held in his care. The same text calls Kashi *Anandavana*, the forest of bliss. It also names the places along the river that pilgrims honour, such as Manikarnika and Dashashwamedha.

You do not need to believe every detail to see what the name is doing. It says that Kashi is a place of belonging, where a visitor is meant to feel received, not processed.

### 2. Jyotirlinga: the pillar of light The Shiva Purana (Vidyeshvara Samhita) tells of a vast pillar of light that appeared before Brahma and Vishnu, with no beginning or end that either of them could reach. It teaches that the formless Shiva shows himself as light, and the places where that light is worshipped are the *jyotirlingas*.

The Kotirudra Samhita lists the twelve. Varanasi is one of them, and a traditional hymn, the Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotra, which is attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, says so in a single line: "vārāṇasyāṃ tu viśveśaṃ", "and at Varanasi, Vishvesha". The Kotirudra Samhita also has chapters on Vishveshvara itself.

### 3. Vishwanath: lord of the universe *Vishva* means the whole universe, and *natha* means lord. Vishwanath, or Vishveshvara, is Shiva as the lord of everything, and not of one tribe, one caste or one country. That is why people of every region have walked to this one place.

The temple standing today was rebuilt in 1780 by Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore. The gold that covers its spire was given by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust publishes the temple's history and its aarti schedule for anyone planning a visit.

### Putting the three together Avimukta tells you Shiva stays. Jyotirlinga tells you what he is: light. Vishwanath tells you whom he belongs to: everyone. Together they are a small map of why this city is held so dear.

### Practice step Learn one line with its meaning: "vārāṇasyāṃ tu viśveśaṃ", at Varanasi, Vishvesha. Learn the sound from a person who recites it, such as a teacher or a good recording, and then say it once, slowly, with its meaning in your mind.

### Questions to check yourself 1. What does Avimukta mean? (Not let go, the place Shiva does not leave.) 2. Which Purana lists the twelve jyotirlingas? (The Shiva Purana, in the Kotirudra Samhita.) 3. Who rebuilt the present temple, and when? (Ahilyabai Holkar, in 1780.)

**Sources:** Skanda Purana, Kashi Khanda (Gita Press, Gorakhpur, Hindi translation, for reading; DV writes its own meaning); Shiva Purana, Vidyeshvara Samhita (pillar of light); Shiva Purana, Kotirudra Samhita (twelve jyotirlingas; Vishveshvara); Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotra (traditional, attributed to Adi Shankaracharya); Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust, published history and aarti schedule.

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