Rohan Umak
Spirituality news: Names express the various powers and attributes of the city and reveal the dimensions of its sacred authority. Banaras is the whole world in itself, everything on earth that is powerful and auspicious in here. All of the sacred places, all of the sacred waters, All of the Gods reside here, attracted by the brilliance. All of the names that occur praises the divinity of this city, as we will use them here-
KASHI – This name is the most ancient. It was used nearly three thousand years ago. Most commonly, however, it is said to derive from the sanskrit word kash, ” to shine, to look brilliant or beautiful ”. Kashi means the shining one, the luminious one, the illuminiating one. The Kashi khanda explains that ”Because that light, which is the unspeakable Shiva, shines here, lets its other name be called Kashi. Hence Kashi is the ”City of Lights, which illumines liberation”.
VARANASI – This city sits between the Varana River, which flows into the Ganges on the north, and the Asi River, which joins the Ganges on the south. The Varana River is called as Varana because it obstruct all sins of the senses. The Asi River is called Nasi because it destroys all sins of the senses. It is the place where the nose and the eyebrows meet. That is the meeting place of heaven and the world beyond. So Varanasi is the place of the eye of wisdom.
AVIMUKTA – The place where the linga of Shiva was first established and worshipped on earth. Even in the time of the Distruction ( Pralaya ) this land is never going to let loose by Shiva and Parvati. Therefore it is called Avimukta. The name Avimukta is ofter used to emphasize the fact that people should never leave this place.
ANANDAVANA – In one mahatmya, Shiva explains, ” My lingas are everywhere there, like little sproutsarisen out of sheer bliss. Thus it is called the Forest of Bliss.” In the Hindu philosophical traditions there are very few words to describe the supreme and attributeless, the word Anand means bliss, and the place where one gets bliss of knowledge is Anandvana means ” Forest of the bliss for knowledge to attain liberation”.
RUDRAVASA – The own City of Lord Shiva where the Supreme God has taken up permanent residence. There is a very popular saying in this city that ” Yahan ke har kankar mein Shiv Shankar hain ” i.e. The very stones in this city are Shiva. In the Kashi khanda Shiva himself explains that those who dwell in this city take on the form, the attributes, and the ornaments of Rudra, and they should be honouredas one would honour Rudra, and at death they are absorbed into Rudra-Shiva himself.
MAHASHAMSHANA – The whole city is cremation ground although it is specifically marked off outside of town, often to the south, the direction of Yama, the Lord of Death. Shiva is the holy One who challenges ordinary distinctions of pure and impure, auspicious and inauspicious. he is the deity who may be beautiful or terrifying, who may anoint his body with the fragrant oil of sandalwoodor with the gray ashesof the dead. Hence this city is called the Great Cremation Ground.
Shubh Laabh