The Real City of Kāshi
Kāshi Panchakam (काशीपञ्चकम्)
Kāshi is a holy city, known today as Vārāṇasi (Banāras), on the banks of the river Ganga. Kāshi has always been an important centre of culture and learning. The great philosopher saint, Adi Shankaracharya, through these five verses brings out the real significance of this holy place pilgrimage and goes on to say that the real Kāshi is in the form of our Consciousness.
Verse 1
मनोनिवृत्तिः परमोपशान्तिः
सा तीर्थवर्या मणिकर्णिका च ।
ज्ञानप्रवाहा विमलादिगङ्गा
सा काशिकाहं निजबोधरूपा ॥ 1 ॥
Word meaning
मनोनिवृत्तिः — cessation of mental activities (thoughts); परमा — supreme; उपशान्तिः — peace, quietude; सा — that; तीर्थवर्या — holiest of the places of pilgrimage; मणिकर्णिका — the Manikarnika ghat in Kāshi; च — and; ज्ञानप्रवाहा — continuous flow or stream of knowledge; विमला — pure; आदिगङ्गा — the first (original) Ganga; सा — that; काशिका — Kāshi; अहम् — I; निजबोधरूपा — of the form of Self-awareness.
Prose form of the verse
मनोनिवृत्तिः परमा उपशान्तिः ; सा च तीर्थवर्या मणिकर्णिका ; ज्ञानप्रवाहा विमला आदिगङ्गा ; अहं सा काशिका निजबोधरूपा ।
Meaning of the verse
The cessation of all mental activities (thoughts)
is the supreme peace and quietude, and
that is the Maṇikarṇikā ghāt,
the holiest of the places of pilgrimage.
The continuous stream of knowledge
is the pure primordial Ganga.
I am that Kāshi of the form of Self-awareness.
[Maṇikarṇikā ghāt is a holy cremation ground in Kāshi (Vārāṇasi), on the banks of river Ganga.]
Verse 2
यस्यामिदं कल्पितमिन्द्रजालं
चराचरं भाति मनोविलासम् ।
सच्चित्सुखैका परमात्मरूपा
सा काशिकाहं निजबोधरूपा ॥ 2 ॥
Word meaning
यस्याम् — in which; इदम् — this; कल्पितम् — conceived; इन्द्रजालम् — illusion, magic; चराचरम् — aggregate of all creatures movable and immovable; भाति — shines; मनोविलासम् — playful creation of the mind; सच्चित्सुखा — Existence-Consciousness-Bliss; एका — the One; परमात्मरूपा — of the form of the Supreme Lord (Paramātma, the Supreme Self, Supreme Being); सा — that; काशिका — Kāshi; अहम् — I; निजबोधरूपा — of the form of Self-awareness.
Prose form of the verse
यस्याम् इदं मनोविलासम् इन्द्रजालं कल्पितम् चराचरं भाति एका सच्चित्सुखा परमात्मरूपा , अहं सा काशिका निजबोधरूपा ।
Meaning of the verse
The One Existence-Consciousness-Bliss
of the form of the Supreme Being (the Supreme Self),
in which this magic of illusion (of creation) is conceived
by the playful creation of the mind, and
in which shines the world of movable and immovable objects,
I am that Kāshi of the form of Self-awareness.
Verse 3
कोशेषु पञ्चस्वधिराजमाना
बुद्धिर्भवानी प्रतिदेहगेहम् ।
साक्षी शिवः सर्वगतोऽन्तरात्मा
सा काशिकाहं निजबोधरूपा ॥ 3 ॥
Word meaning
कोशेषु — in the five sheaths; पञ्चसु — in five; अधिराजमाना — presiding over; बुद्धिः — intelligence; भवानी — consort of Lord Shiva, Goddess Pārvati; प्रतिदेहगेहम् — abode in every body; साक्षी — witness; शिवः — Lord Shiva; सर्वगतः — all-pervading, omnipresent; अन्तरात्मा — the Self; सा — that; काशिका — Kāshi; अहम् — I; निजबोधरूपा — of the form of Self-awareness.
Prose form of the verse
प्रतिदेहगेहम् पञ्चसु कोशेषु अधिराजमाना बुद्धिः भवानी, सर्वगतः अन्तरात्मा साक्षी शिवः, अहं सा काशिका निजबोधरूपा ।
Meaning of the verse
Residing in every body,
presiding over the five sheaths,
where the intelligence is Goddess Pārvati
(the consort of Lord Shiva),
where the all-pervading Self, the witness,
is none other than Lord Shiva,
I am that Kāshi of the form of Self-awareness.
[The five sheaths are annamaya (food sheath), prānamaya (vital air sheath), manomaya (mental sheath), vijnānamaya (knowledge sheath), ānandamaya (bliss sheath)]
Verse 4
काश्यां हि काश्यते काशी काशी सर्वप्रकाशिका ।
सा काशी विदिता येन तेन प्राप्ता हि काशिका ॥ 4 ॥
Word meaning
काश्याम् — in Kāshi; हि — indeed; काश्यते — shines; काशी — the Effulgent One; काशी — Kāshi; सर्वप्रकाशिका — illuminates everything; सा — that; काशी — Kāshi; विदिता — has realized, known; येन — by whom; तेन — by him/her; प्राप्ता — attained; हि — indeed; काशिका — Kāshi.
Prose form of the verse
काशी काश्यां हि काश्यते । काशी सर्वप्रकाशिका । सा काशी येन विदिता, तेन हि काशिका प्राप्ता ।
Meaning of the verse
In the Effulgent One, shines Kāshi;
that Kāshi is illuminates everything.
He who realizes that Kāshi (the Effulgent One) within,
indeed attains Kāshi.
Verse 5
काशीक्षेत्रं शरीरं त्रिभुवन-जननी व्यापिनी ज्ञानगङ्गा
भक्तिः श्रद्धा गयेयं निजगुरु-चरणध्यानयोगः प्रयागः ।
विश्वेशोऽयं तुरीयः सकलजन-मनःसाक्षिभूतोऽन्तरात्मा
देहे सर्वं मदीये यदि वसति पुनस्तीर्थमन्यत्किमस्ति ॥ 5 ॥
Word meaning
काशीक्षेत्रम् — pilgrim centre of Kāshi; शरीरम् — body; त्रिभुवन-जननी — mother of the three worlds; व्यापिनी — all-pervading; ज्ञानगङ्गा — Ganges of knowledge; भक्तिः — devotion; श्रद्धा — faithfulness; गया — Gayā; इयम् — this; निजगुरु-चरण-ध्यानयोगः — yoga of meditation on the feet of one’s Guru; प्रयागः — Prayāg; विश्वेशः — Lord of the Universe; अयम् — this; तुरीयः — Supreme Reality (literally Fourth); सकलजन-मनःसाक्षिभूतः — being the witness of the mind in all living beings; अन्तरात्मा — Inner Self; देहे — in the body; सर्वम् — all, everything; मदीये — my own; यदि — if; वसति — resides, abides; पुनः — again; तीर्थम् — pilgrimage centre; अन्यत् — another; किम् — what; अस्ति — is;
Prose form of the verse
काशीक्षेत्रं शरीरं ; व्यापिनी त्रिभुवन-जननी ज्ञानगङ्गा ; भक्तिः श्रद्धा इयं गया ; निजगुरु-चरणध्यानयोगः प्रयागः ; विश्वेशः अयं सकलजनमनःसाक्षिभूतः अन्तरात्मा तुरीयः; मदीये देहे सर्वं यदि वसति पुनः अन्यत् तीर्थम् किम् अस्ति ।
Meaning of the verse
This body is the pilgrim centre of Kāshi;
the all-pervading Ganga of Self-knowledge
is the mother of the three worlds;
devotion together with shraddhā is the holy Gayā;
yoga of meditation on the holy feet of the Guru is Prayāg;
the Inmost Self, the witness of the mind in all living beings,
is the Lord of the Universe.
If all these reside in my own body,
then what is the need for external pilgrimage centres?
[Gaya is a holy city, in the northeast Indian state of Bihar. Prayāg is the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati.]
