Shloka 57
अत्रीश्वरमाहात्म्यवर्णनम् (Atrīśvara-māhātmya-varṇanam) — “Account of the Greatness of Atrīśvara”
तद्दिनं हि समारभ्य तत्राक्षय्यजलं सदा । हस्तमात्रे हि तद्गर्ते गंगा मन्दाकिनी ह्यभूत्
taddinaṃ hi samārabhya tatrākṣayyajalaṃ sadā | hastamātre hi tadgarte gaṃgā mandākinī hyabhūt
Von jenem Tage an besaß jener Ort stets unerschöpfliches Wasser. Wahrlich, in jener kleinen Grube—nur eine Handspanne weit—offenbarte sich dort die heilige Gaṅgā als Mandākinī.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadyojāta
Jyotirlinga: Kedāranātha
Sthala Purana: A sacred water-source becomes inexhaustible; Gaṅgā manifests locally as Mandākinī, marking the site as divinely sustained and fit for Śiva-worship and pilgrimage.
Significance: Darśana and snāna at Mandākinī-associated tīrtha are framed as Śiva’s anugraha—purifying pāśa (bondage) and supporting bhakti and sādhana.
Shakti Form: Tārā
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It proclaims a tirtha’s enduring sanctity: by Shiva’s sacred narrative power, an ordinary spot becomes an inexhaustible source of purifying grace, where Gaṅgā manifests as Mandākinī—signifying ever-available divine compassion for devotees.
In Kotirudra’s Jyotirlinga context, such holy waters are understood as attendants to Saguna Shiva’s presence at the kshetra—supporting abhisheka, snana, and pilgrimage disciplines that orient the devotee toward Shiva’s saving power (Pati) and liberation from bonds (pāśa).
Perform tirtha-snāna (ritual bathing) with remembrance of Shiva, followed by Linga-abhisheka using that water while repeating the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” dedicating the act for inner purification and steadiness in bhakti.