Shloka 29
Gaṅgā-Avataraṇa and the Naming of Gaṅgādvāra (गङ्गावतरणम्—गङ्गाद्वारप्रसिद्धिः)
ततस्ते भिन्नमतयो गां कृत्वा कृत्रिमां द्विजाः । तद्धान्यभक्षणासक्तां चक्रुस्तां कुटिलाशयाः
tataste bhinnamatayo gāṃ kṛtvā kṛtrimāṃ dvijāḥ | taddhānyabhakṣaṇāsaktāṃ cakrustāṃ kuṭilāśayāḥ
Daraufhin fertigten jene Zweimalgeborenen, in ihrer Meinung gespalten und im Herzen verschlagen, eine künstliche Kuh an und machten sie begierig, jenes Korn zu fressen.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Bhairava
Jyotirlinga: Tryambakeśvara
Sthala Purana: The plot device of a fabricated cow engineered to destroy grain foreshadows a false accusation against Gautama; the māhātmya uses this moral inversion to highlight how adharma around a tirtha leads to downfall, while the Jyotirliṅga remains the axis of truth and purification.
Significance: Didactic warning: deceit near sacred precincts intensifies karmic consequence; pilgrims are urged toward satya, ahiṃsā, and reverence for cows and brahmins.
Shakti Form: Caṇḍikā
Role: destructive
FAQs
It highlights that adharma begins in the mind: when intention becomes crooked, people fabricate appearances to justify wrongdoing—karma then follows the inner deceit, not the outer disguise.
In Shaiva understanding, true Linga-worship is grounded in sincerity, truthfulness, and purity; contrived acts and hypocrisy oppose Shiva’s principle of inner integrity, making ritual empty when the heart is deceitful.
Cultivate śuddha-bhāva (pure intention) before japa and pūjā—especially Panchakshara japa (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with self-examination, truthfulness, and restraint so worship is not merely external show.