ei-mata nÄnÄ-sukhe prabhu ÄilÄ 'kÄśī'
madhyÄhna-snÄna kaila maṇikarṇikÄya Äsi'
ei-mata - in this way; nÄnÄ-sukhe - in great happiness; prabhu - ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu; ÄilÄ - came; kÄśī - to the holy place named KÄśī; madhyÄhna-snÄna - afternoon bath; kaila - took; maṇikarṇikÄya - to the bathing place known as MaṇikarṇikÄ; Äsi' - coming.
Finally the Lord arrived with great happiness at the holy place called KÄśī. There He took His bath in the bathing ghat known as MaṇikarṇikÄ.
KÄśī is another name for VÄrÄṇasÄ« (Benares). It has been a place of pilgrimage since time immemorial. Two rivers named Asiḥ and Varuá¹‡Ä merge there. MaṇikarṇikÄ is famous because, according to the opinion of great personalities, a bejeweled earring fell there from the ear of Lord Viṣṇu. According to some, it fell from the ear of Lord Åšiva. The word maṇi means “jewel,†and karṇikÄ means “from the ear.†According to some, Lord ViÅ›vanÄtha is the great physician who cures the disease of material existence by delivering a person through the ear, which receives the vibration of the holy name of Lord RÄma. Because of this, this holy place is called MaṇikarṇikÄ. It is said that there is no better place than where the river Ganges flows, and the bathing ghat known as MaṇikarṇikÄ is especially sanctified because it is very dear to Lord ViÅ›vanÄtha. In the KÄśī-khaṇá¸a it is said:
saá¹sÄri-cintÄmaṇir atra yasmÄt
tÄrakaá¹ saj-jana-karṇikÄyÄm
Å›ivo ’bhidhatte saha-sÄnta-kÄle
tad gīyate ’sau maṇi-karṇiketi
mukti-laká¹£mÄ« mahÄ-pÄ«á¹ha- maṇis tac-caraṇÄbjayoḥ
karṇikeyaá¹ tataḥ prÄhur yÄá¹ janÄ maṇi-karṇikÄm
According to this passage from the KÄśī-khaṇá¸a, one who gives up his body at MaṇikarṇikÄ is liberated simply by remembering Lord Åšiva’s name.
