Most people, shrouded in delusion by my māyā, remain unawakened and cannot truly see reality as it is. Again and again, they are caught in the cycle of birth, dwelling within bodies formed from excrement, urine, and semen, unable to break free. Yet there exists a supreme state—one who attains it is beyond sorrow, forever free from grief. The wise know that, having reached this highest state, a person is truly accomplished. But this supreme condition is not found everywhere; it is only attained in Avimukta. For the sages, Avimukta is the ultimate remedy, the highest truth, the very essence of auspiciousness. To those who seek me there, I grant the supreme knowledge, and at the end of their journey, they reach the highest state. Sacred places like Kedāra, Bhadrakarṇa, Gayā, Puṣkara, Prabhāsa, Vijayeśāna, Gokarṇa, and Bhadrakarṇaka—though revered—do not bestow the same liberation as that gained by those who depart from this world in Vārāṇasī. Simply entering Vārāṇasī destroys the sins accumulated over hundreds of lifetimes. The vows and disciplines undertaken in that city are exceedingly rare and precious. Even one who lives on air alone and remains in Vārāṇasī is purified by its sanctity. Whoever reaches Vārāṇasī is cleansed of all impurity, becoming a lord among men, freed from all sins. Elsewhere, one might attain the supreme state only after a thousand births. But in Vārāṇasī, the highest liberation is won in a single lifetime. Upon reaching Avimukta, one need not seek any other hermitage, for this is the most secret of secrets; knowing it brings liberation. O beautiful one, the destiny reserved for those who depart in Avimukta is indeed the supreme state. The city of Vārāṇasī surpasses all other sacred places in auspiciousness. There, in Avimukta, the liberating Brahman called Taraka is revealed, and with just one birth in Vārāṇasī, one attains liberation. The radiant sun of Avimukta shines perpetually over Vārāṇasī, where the eternal truth of Avimukta is ever-present. In that holy city, Lord Nārāyaṇa and Mahādeva, the lord of the gods, reside together, constantly worshipping me, the god of gods and the grandsire of all. Those who reach Vārāṇasī attain the highest state. There, by receiving knowledge from Mahādeva himself, one is liberated forever. Afterward, a person no longer commits sin in thought, word, or deed. Yet, the true knowledge that rests in Avimukta remains a mystery, unknown to most. The teaching I have given you, O goddess, destroys all sins. Just as Girisha is supreme among lords, so is this place paramount among all sacred sites. Those who arrive at Avimukta, the supreme field, enter the very abode of Shiva. The place of that Supreme Lord is beyond comprehension for most, but for those who reach it, sins are swiftly destroyed, both in this life and beyond. Śiva himself, the embodiment of time, annihilates all their sins. For those who die there, rebirth in the ocean of existence ceases—they are freed forever. Whether a person is a yogi or not, whether sinful or supremely virtuous, this liberation is granted to all who reach Avimukta.