The Spiritual Significance Of Kashi
पञ्चक्रोशत्मिका काशी ब्रह्मतेजोमयी श्रिता अर्द्धचन्द्रात्मिका देवी दृश्यते सर्वजातिभिः ॥ यत्र भस्मीकृतं देवी जगदेतच्चराचरम्। महाश्मशानं तद्विद्धि सर्वेषां लय-कारणात् ॥ दृष्ट्वा तु परमेशानि आनन्दो मम जायते। आनन्दकाननं तस्माद् गीयते वेदवादिभिः ॥
The Illumined Half-Moon Shaped Kashi Covering An Area Of Five Kroshas As Seen By All Is Verily A Place Where The Body And Desires Of The Mortals Are Reduced To Ashes And That Is Why This Holy Place Is Regarded As The Greatest Cremation Ground. The Presiding God Of Kashi, Lord Vishwanath, Himself Confided To His Devine Consort Devi Parvati. This Blissful Place Is Very Dear To Me And So I Have Named It 'Garden Of Bliss' It Is Why Kashi Is Called "निर्वाणकाशनादत्र काशीति प्रथितापुरी" - As The Lord Shiva Himself Revealed That He Liberates Them, By Uttering The Secret Taraka Mantra, Into The Ears Of Those Who Die Here. This Secret Has Promted To Name This Holy Place As Kashi - "काश्यते प्रकाश्यते इति काशी'' It Is The Place Where Lord Vishwanath Revealed Himself As Jyotirlinga (The Phallus Of Light) Before The Lords Brahma And Bishnu.
Kashi Is Also Called Varanasi वरुणायास्तथा चास्या मध्ये वाराणसी पुरी ॥ असि वरुणा यत्र क्षेत्ररक्षाकृतौ कृते वाराणसीति विख्याता तदारम्य महामुने ।" As This Stretch Is Bounded By The Two Streams Varuna And Asi. The Shiva And Shakti Cannot Afford To Reside Elsewhere Besides Kashi And They Are Ever Present Here Even At The Time Of Cataclysm (Pralaya), And As Such The Place Is Called Abimuktapuri" अविमुक्तं महाक्षेत्रं न मुक्तं शम्भुना क्वचित् प्रलयकालेऽपि न तत्क्षे कदाचन विमुक्तं हि शिवाभ्यां यदविमुक्तं ततो विदुः । " Lord Shiva Avowedly Disclosed To His Devine Consort-There Is No Such Holiest Of The Holy Places In All The Three Worlds. It Is Here Goddess Annapurna Provides Sustaining Food To The Creatures, Goddess Saraswati Grants Self Knowledge And Finally At The Time Of Death Lord Shiva Liberates The Creatures From All Bondages And Merges Their Souls To Their Origin अनं दद्यात् अन्नपूर्णा ज्ञानं दद्यात् सरस्वती । प्राणान्ते मुक्ति दाताहं सत्यं सत्यं न संशयः ॥ This Is Known As Kashi Prapti (Attaining The Kashi) By Which The Soul, Freed From Ignorance And Illusions, Merge Into The Self-Radiating Realm Of The Atman.
Kashi with its numerous temples and shrines, ashramas, bathing ghats and pavilions that stretch along the river for nearly 5 km was a great cultural centre of India for thousands of years. From the dawn of time the dream of every devout Hindu is to visit Kashi at least once in his life time.
Here every day thousands of pilgrims pour in from all parts of the country to have a purifying dip in the holy Ganga and to have a darshan (glimpse) of Sri Vishwanatha (Lord of the Universe),the chief deity of the city, and of Mother Annapurna, His Divine Consort.
Parts of the city (including many major temples like Vishwanath and Beni Madhav) were destroyed repeatedly between the 12th and 17th centuries by the various Muslim rulers of the North. But every time they were rebuilt on the top of the ruins and rubble.
Thus the famous Vishwanath Temple has changed its location twice from the original one known to history for 2000 years.
Sri Maa Sarada Devi was went to Beni Madhav Dhaja.
Through the centuries, countless saints, sages and savants, philosophers, scholars and reformers, poets, writers and musicians have either lived in or visited the city. To name a few - Maharshi Veda Vyasa, Patanjali, Shankara, Ramanuja, Vallabha, Ramananda, Kabir, Ravidas, Tulsidas, Chaitanya, Guru Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh, Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Dayananda Saraswathi, Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, Subrahmanya Bharathiyar, Annie Besant, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (founder of Banaras Hindu University) and Ustad Bismillah Khan.
Many reputed gharanas or schools of music developed in Kashi. It is famous for its silk and muslin fabrics, perfumes, ivory works, brassware, gold and silver ornaments and wooden toys.
