Shloka 33
ब्राह्मणीमरणवर्णनम् (Account of the Brahmin Woman’s Death) — within Nandikeśvara-māhātmya
द्वयोः श्रेष्ठतमो यो वै सुवादो नाम विश्रुतः । तदस्थीनि समादाय निस्सृतस्तीर्थकाम्यया
dvayoḥ śreṣṭhatamo yo vai suvādo nāma viśrutaḥ | tadasthīni samādāya nissṛtastīrthakāmyayā
Von den beiden war der vortrefflichste der weithin bekannte namens Suvāda. Er nahm jene Gebeine an sich und brach auf, getrieben vom Wunsch, die Tīrthas, heilige Pilgerstätten, aufzusuchen.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Pashupatinatha
Sthala Purana: The verse initiates a tīrtha-seeking motif: carrying the mother’s bones for immersion at sacred waters, anticipating contact with Śiva-kṣetras where grace is believed to be more accessible.
Significance: Tīrtha-yātrā and asthi-visarjana are framed as dharmic acts that can aid the departed and purify the living pilgrim.
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It highlights tīrtha-kāmyā—yearning for pilgrimage—as a devotional impulse that turns remembrance of the departed (symbolized by the bones) into a sacred, merit-bearing journey oriented toward Shiva’s holy places.
In the Koṭirudrasaṃhitā, pilgrimage is typically directed toward Jyotirlinga-kṣetras where Saguna Shiva is worshiped through the Linga; the verse sets the narrative movement toward such Shiva-centered tīrthas.
A practical takeaway is tīrtha-yātrā with śraddhā (faith): carrying sacred remembrance while performing tīrtha-snana (holy bathing) and offering prayers to Shiva—often accompanied by japa of the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” in Jyotirlinga temples.