अप्रबुद्धा न पश्यन्ति मम मायाविमोहिताः
Those who are not awakened, deluded by my māyā, do not see.
विण्मूत्ररेतसां मध्ये ते वसन्ति पुनः पुनः
Among excrement, urine, and semen, they dwell again and again.
स याति परमं स्थानं यत्र गत्वा न शोचति
He attains the supreme state, having reached which one does not grieve.
यां प्राप्य कृतकृत्यः स्यादिति मन्यन्ति पण्डताः
Having attained that, one is accomplished—so the wise believe.
प्राप्यते गतिरुत्कृष्टा याविमुक्ते तु लभ्यते
That highest state is attained, but only in Avimukta is it found.
भेषजं परमं तेषामविमुक्तं विदुर्बुधाः
The wise know Avimukta as their supreme remedy.
अविमुक्तं परं तत्त्वमविमुक्तं परं शिवम्
Avimukta is the highest truth; Avimukta is the supreme auspiciousness.
तेषां तत्परमं ज्ञानं ददाम्यन्ते परं पदम्
To them I grant that supreme knowledge, and at the end, the highest state.
केदारं भद्रकर्णं च गया पुष्करमेव च
Kedāra, Bhadrakarṇa, Gayā, and also Puṣkara—
प्रभासं विजयेशानं गोकर्णं भद्रकर्णकम्
Prabhāsa, Vijayeśāna, Gokarṇa, and Bhadrakarṇaka—
न यास्यन्ति परं मोक्षं वाराणस्यां यथा मृताः
They will not attain the highest liberation as do those who die in Vārāṇasī.
प्रविष्टा नाशयेत् पापं जन्मान्तरशतैः कृतम्
Entering there destroys the sins accumulated over hundreds of lifetimes.
व्रतानि सर्वमेवैतद् वाराणस्यां सुदुर्लभम्
All these vows are indeed extremely rare in Vārāṇasī.
वायुभक्षश्च सततं वाराणस्यां स्तितो नरः
A man who always subsists on air and remains in Vārāṇasī—
वाराणसीं समासाद्य पुनाति सकलं नरः
Having reached Vārāṇasī, a man purifies all.
सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्तास्ते विज्ञेया गणेश्वराः
Freed from all sins, they are to be known as lords among hosts.
प्राप्यते तत् परं स्थानं सहस्त्रेणैव जन्मना
That supreme state is attained even after a thousand births.
ते विन्दन्ति परं मोक्षमेकेनैव तु जन्मना
But they attain the highest liberation in just one birth.
अविमुक्तं समासाद्य नान्यद् गच्छेत् तपोवनम्
Having reached Avimukta, one should not go to any other hermitage.
तदेव गुह्यं गुह्यानामेतद् विज्ञाय मुच्यते
This alone is the most secret of secrets; knowing this, one is liberated.
या गतिर्विहिता सुभ्रु साविमुक्ते मृतस्य तु
O beautiful one, the destiny prescribed for the departed in Avimukta is indeed that supreme state.
पुरी वाराणसी तेभ्यः स्थानेभ्यो ह्यधिकाशुभा
The city of Varanasi surpasses all those other places in auspiciousness.
व्याचष्टे तारकं ब्रह्म तत्रैव ह्यविमुक्तकम्
There itself, in Avimukta, the liberating Brahman called Taraka is explained.
एकेन जन्मना देवि वाराणस्यां तदाप्नुयात्
With just one birth, O goddess, one attains that in Varanasi.
यथाविमुक्तादित्ये वाराणस्यां व्यवस्थितम्
As the sun called Avimukta is established in Varanasi,
तत्रैव संस्थितं तत्त्वं नित्यमेवाविमुक्तकम्
There itself, the eternal truth called Avimukta is ever present.
यत्र नारायणो देवो महादेवो दिवेश्वरः
There, Lord Narayana and Mahadeva, the lord of the gods, reside.
उपासते मां सततं देवदेवं पितामहम्
They constantly worship me, the god of gods and the grandsire.
वाराणसीं समासाद्य ते यान्ति परमां गतिम्
Those who reach Varanasi attain the highest state.
वाराणस्यां महादेवाज्ज्ञानं लब्ध्वा विमुच्यते
In Varanasi, having obtained knowledge from Mahadeva, one is liberated.