The Great Epic of the Bhārata dynasty 3.83.203

3.83.203

trayāṇām indrādilokena saha trayāṇāmupari brahmaloke | kurukṣetrasevī kramamuktisthānaṃ prāpnotītyarthaḥ | nayanti paramāṃ gatimiti muktiphaladarśakavākyaśeṣāt | atra kurukṣetrapadena ’kāśyeva | 'kāśīśvarasya tīrtheṣu snātvā bharatasattama | sarvavyādhivinirmukto brahmaloke mahīyate' ityanena samānārthatvāt | tathā ca pāṭhakramādarthakramasya balavattvāt 'pṛthivyāṃ naimiṣaṃ puṇyamantarikṣe ca puṣkaram' ityataḥ paraṃ 'ye vasanti kurukṣetre te vasanti triviṣṭape' ityayaṃ grantho draṣṭavyaḥ | anyathā tṛtīyalokasyānuktestrayāṇāmityasaṅgataṃ syāt | triviṣṭape ityadhyāhāreṇa vā vākyapūraṇaṃ syāt | taccāyuktam | śrautārthasambhave darśitā cāvimukte'pi kurukṣetrapadasya śrautīrūḍhiravimuktaṃ vai kurukṣetramiti jābālopaniṣadi na copakramopasaṃhāraikarūpeṇa prasiddhakurukṣetrasya prākaraṇikatvena tīrthāntaravadvārāṇasyāstatprakaraṇapaṭhitatvāttadaṅgatvaṃ syāditi vācyam | prakaraṇālliṅgasya balīyastvāt | tathā hi | ‘te vasanti triviṣṭape svarge loke mahīyate' ityādivākyaśeṣātsvargaprāptireva kurukṣetraphalamavagamyate | na cātratyaṃ triviṣṭapādipadaṃ brahmalokaparaṃ kartuṃ śakyam | brahmavedī kurukṣetramiti vākyaśeṣavirodhāt | tatra ca vedīśabdena tasya karmabhūmitvāvagamāt teṣāṃ kurukṣetraṃ vedirāsīt' iti taittirīyakabrāhmaṇāt | 'teṣāṃ kurukṣetraṃ devayajanamāsa' iti śatapathaśruteśca na ca karmabhūmervidyāphalapradatvaṃ yujyate | 'karmaṇā pitṛloko vidyayā devalokaḥ' iti tayoḥ phalabhedaśravaṇāt | pitṛlokaḥ svargalokaḥ devaloko brahmalokaḥ | vārāṇasyāstu jñānabhūmitvaṃ sarvaśrutiprasiddham | etadevātra | 'pāṃsavo'pi kurukṣetrādvāyunā samudīritāḥ | api duṣkṛtakarmāṇaṃ nayanti paramāṃ gatim' iti pradarśya 'dakṣiṇena sarasvatyā uttareṇa dṛṣadvatīm | ye vasanti kurukṣetre te vasanti triviṣṭape' ityanantaraślokena prasiddhakurukṣetraphalaṃ pradarśyate | na caitadeva pūrvaślokena stūyata iti vācyam | śrutismṛtiprasiddhibalāttasya bhūtārthavādatve sambhavatyabhūrtāthavādatvopagamasyāyogāt vālmīkīye mokṣopāyeṣu | 'chāyāsūcī tāpasūcī mukhyasūcīti ca trikam | trikoṇaṃ tapasā pūtaṃ vārāṇasyāḥ samaṃ kṛtam | gatāstena trikoṇena ye kecidiha jantavaḥ | vāyavaḥ pāṃsavo vāpi te'pi muktiṃ paraṅgatā:' iti bhaṅgyantareṇa pūrvaślokārthasya pratyabhijñānāt tathā ca yadyapi kāśyāḥ kurukṣetrāṅgatvaṃ prakaraṇātprasaktaṃ tathāpi yogyatayā phalatāratamyaliṅgānna tatsambhavati | sānnidhyāttu parasparākāṅkṣādikamutthāpya tīrthāntaraśeṣībhūtasyāpi kurukṣetrasya kāśīśeṣatvaṃ jñeyam | tathā ca vākyāt durbalo'pi sannidhiḥ 'ānarthakyapratihatānāṃ viparītaṃ balābalam' iti nyāyena balavattayā svargaloke mahīyata iti vākyāvagatamapi kurukṣetraphalaṃ tirodhāya 'pratitiṣṭhanti vai ya etā rātrīrupayanti' ityādau rātrisatrasya pratiṣṭāśeṣitāmiva pāṃsavo'pi kurukṣetra ityarthavādena muktiphalaśeṣitām avimuktasañjñasya kurukṣetrasya vyavasthāpayan sahaikavākyatāṃ gatvā prasiddha kurukṣetrasyāvimuktaśeṣatāṃ gamayati | tathā cāyaṃ pāṃsavopītyādiślokadvayārthaḥ | ye paramagatipradāṃ kāśīṃ gantumicchanti te kurukṣetre vaseyuriti | te vasanti triviṣṭape iti tu yogāṅgaphalavadguṇavaphalamiti prāguktaṃ na vismartavyam | tatsiddhaṃ sarveṣāṃ tīrthānāṃ kurukṣetraprāpakatvaṃ kurukṣetrasya tu kāśīprāpakatvamiti ||