History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c74.t2.132

v5.c74.t2.132

Verses laudatory of the greatness and uniqueness of Vārāṇasī literally run into thousands. All that can be done here is to set out a few characteristic verses. The Vanaparva observes.¹⁴³⁵ a person coming to Avimukta and resorting to the sacred place becomes free from the sin of brāhmaṇa-murder by merely seeing the (image of the) Lord of gods (i e. Viśveśvara) and if he dies there he secures *mokṣa*. The Matsyapurāṇa¹⁴³⁶ contains many striking passages about the unique greatness of Banaras "Vārāṇasī is always my most secret place; it is always the cause of mokṣa for all beings. Mokṣa may be effected in Prayāga or in this city because I have taken it under my protection, this place is greater than even Prayāga, the foremost among tīrthas. All the sins¹⁴³⁷ that a man may have accumulated in thousands of past lives are destroyed the moment he enters Avimukta, brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, persons born of mixed marriages, worms, mlecchas and others born of low mixed unions, insects, ants, birds and beasts, when they succumb to death in course of time all find happiness in my auspicious city, all being endowed with a crescent of the moon on their heads, with a (third) eye on their forehead and have a bull as their conveyance." A person,¹⁴³⁸ even though his mind may be addicted to pleasures of sense and though he may have given up devotion to *dharma*, if he dies in this place (Banaras) he does not again enter upon the path of *saṁsāra* (the cycle of births and deaths); a man concentrating his mind for thousands of past lives may secure Yoga; but by dying (in Banaras) he secures the highest mokṣa in this very life. Even if a man be a sinner ¹⁴³⁹ or a rogue or irreligious he becomes free from all sins if he goes to Avimukta Other women,¹⁴⁴⁰ that act as they like and are intently devoted to enjoyments, when they die here by lapse of time secure the highest worlds. In this world mokṣa ¹⁴⁴¹ cannot be secured by men without the (practice of) Yoga; but in the case of those who reside in Avimukta Yoga and mokṣa are both secured. For planets,¹⁴⁴² lunar mansions and stars there is the danger of falling (from the sky) in course of time but there is no fall for those who die in Avimukta. Whatever ¹⁴⁴³ evil actions may have been committed by an evil-minded man or woman, knowingly or unknowingly—all those are reduced to ashes when he enters Avimukta. Even a mleccha resident in Kāśī is better, since his future will be blissful, but not one residing elsewhere, though he may be a dīkṣita, because he will not be a recipient of *mukti*.”