7 de diciembre

according to the puranas, ancient stories of gods, kings and saints...

"kashi is the whole world, they say. everything on earth that is powerful and auspicious is here, in this microcosm. all of the sacred places of india and all of her sacred waters are here. all of the gods reside here, attracted by the brilliance of the city of light. all of the eight directions of the compass originated here, receiving jurisdiction over the sectors of the universe. and all of time is here, they say, for the lords of the heavenly bodies which govern time are grounded in kashi and have received their jurisdiction over the days and months right here. thus, all the organizing forces of space and time begin here, and are present here, within the sacred boundaries of kashi.
and yet kashi is not of this earth, they say. while it is in the world and at the very center of it, it is not attached to the earth. it sits high above the earth on the top of the trident of its lord and protector, shiva. kashi is not subject to the relentless movement of the great cycles of time, the eras of universal creation and dissolution. it is the still center which anchors the perpetual movement of time and space, without participating in the ever-turning world of samsara.
kashi is the permanent home of shiva, they say. here he dwells in order to bestow the enlightening wisdom of liberation. although shiva is omnipresent, there are a few places that are especially transparent to his luminous presence. and of these few, the city of light is the most brilliant of all.
kashi is light, they say. the city illumines truth and reveals reality".

(diana eck, banaras, city of light)