Shloka 54
ब्राह्मणीस्वर्गतिवर्णनम्
Brāhmaṇī-Svargati-Varṇana: Account of a Brāhmaṇa Woman’s Ascent to Heaven
निमज्ज्य हि गतौ तौ च प्रशंसन्तौ नदी च ताम् । मार्गे च मिलिता काचित्सुन्दरी भूषणान्विता
nimajjya hi gatau tau ca praśaṃsantau nadī ca tām | mārge ca militā kācitsundarī bhūṣaṇānvitā
Nachdem sie beide durch Untertauchen gebadet hatten, setzten sie ihren Weg fort und priesen jenen Fluss. Unterwegs begegneten sie einer schönen Frau, geschmückt mit Schmuck.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Jyotirlinga: Oṃkāreśvara
Sthala Purana: After bathing, the brāhmaṇa and the cow proceed praising the Narmadā; on the road they encounter an ornamented beautiful woman—often a narrative device in Purāṇic tīrtha-kathā to introduce a divine test, revelation, or personified śakti of the kṣetra.
Significance: Post-snāna movement ‘back into the world’ tests whether purification matures into discernment; the encounter hints at concealed divinity (tirodhāna) that will later unfold as instruction or grace.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse highlights tīrtha-snānā (sacred bathing) and gratitude toward the holy river—an outer act that supports inner purification, preparing the devotees’ minds for Shiva-centered remembrance and the unfolding of the Jyotirlinga pilgrimage narrative.
In the Kotirudrasaṃhitā, pilgrimage and tīrtha practices commonly serve as preparatory disciplines before approaching a Jyotirlinga—Saguna Shiva as the Linga—so the devotee arrives with humility, purity, and praise on the tongue.
Perform tīrtha-snānā with a prayerful attitude and follow it with stuti (praise); as a Shaiva practice, one may mentally repeat the Pañcākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—while traveling to the shrine.