मणिकर्णिका Manikarnika
Manikarnika is the Maha Shmashana of the entire planet. It is sometimes called Mahashmashana/Mahasmashana/Mahashamshan. It is one of the oldest ghats in the ancient city of Kashi/Varanasi. Every Hindu hopes to die within Old Kashi and be cremated here. It is said that those cremated here attain Moksha and that Lord Shiva's promise is that He will blow the Taraka (RAM) Mantra into the dead's ear here and liberate them.
Manikarnika has several legends associated with it. It is a place of Adi Paraashakti, of Shiva Mahaadev, of Shri Vishnu and of Adi Guru Dattatreya.
Manikarnika has several legends associated with it. It is a place of Adi Paraashakti, of Shiva Mahaadev, of Shri Vishnu and of Adi Guru Dattatreya.
The story of Manikarnika is inexorably connected to the story of the creation and preservation of the Immortal City of Kashi itself.
It is this very place where part (the earring or eye) of the Divine Mother Sati HERSELF fell, where Shiva dwelt for a long time withdrawn in the deepest Samadhi merging with HER, where Shiva's Earring fell into the Kund dug for Him by Lord Vishnu with His Sudarshana Chakra and was filled with Vishnu's very sweat from the several thousand years of tapasya He performed to successfully propitiate Lord Shiva. and where Shiva blows the Taraka Mantra, the Holy Name of Ram, into the ears of all who die here, to carry them over the Ocean of Birth and Death. All cremated here are said to attain Moksha, especially those that die here. This is the boon given to Lord Vishnu by Lord Shiva, after Vishnu propitiated Him with several thousand years of tapasya. Even when Shiva destroys the Universe during the Pralaya, He allows Kashi to remain!
It is this very place where part (the earring or eye) of the Divine Mother Sati HERSELF fell, where Shiva dwelt for a long time withdrawn in the deepest Samadhi merging with HER, where Shiva's Earring fell into the Kund dug for Him by Lord Vishnu with His Sudarshana Chakra and was filled with Vishnu's very sweat from the several thousand years of tapasya He performed to successfully propitiate Lord Shiva. and where Shiva blows the Taraka Mantra, the Holy Name of Ram, into the ears of all who die here, to carry them over the Ocean of Birth and Death. All cremated here are said to attain Moksha, especially those that die here. This is the boon given to Lord Vishnu by Lord Shiva, after Vishnu propitiated Him with several thousand years of tapasya. Even when Shiva destroys the Universe during the Pralaya, He allows Kashi to remain!