Shloka 18
Gautama–Ahalyā-Upākhyāna: Durbhikṣa, Tapas, and Varuṇa’s Boon (गौतमाहल्योपाख्यानम्)
वरुण उवाच । अक्षय्यं च जलं तेऽस्तु तीर्थभूतं महामुने । तव नाम्ना च विख्यातं क्षितावेतद्भविष्यति
varuṇa uvāca | akṣayyaṃ ca jalaṃ te'stu tīrthabhūtaṃ mahāmune | tava nāmnā ca vikhyātaṃ kṣitāvetadbhaviṣyati
Varuṇa said: “O great sage, may this water of yours be inexhaustible and become a sacred tīrtha. Upon the earth, this place shall be renowned by your very name.”
Varuna
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: Varuṇa blesses the sage’s water-source to become akṣaya (inexhaustible) and to function as a tīrtha; the place gains fame by the sage’s name—typical Purāṇic etiological framing for a local sacred ford rather than a Jyotirliṅga origin.
Significance: Snāna/ācamana and tīrtha-sevā here are said to yield enduring merit due to the ‘akṣaya’ status of the waters.
FAQs
It sanctifies a water-source as an akṣaya (inexhaustible) tīrtha, teaching that divine grace can transform a natural element into a lasting channel of purification and merit that supports Shaiva devotion.
In the Kotirudrasaṃhitā, tīrthas commonly serve as pilgrimage supports around Jyotirliṅga worship—external purity through sacred water complements inner surrender to Saguna Shiva, helping the devotee approach the Liṅga with reverence and discipline.
Pilgrims may perform tīrtha-snān (ritual bathing) and ācamana, then offer water (jala-abhisheka) to Shiva’s Liṅga while repeating the Panchākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” dedicating the merit for purification and steadiness in bhakti.