Shloka 52

गौतमस्य शिवदर्शनं पापक्षयवचनं च | Gautama’s Vision of Śiva and the Teaching on Sin and Purification

Devanagari script

सरांसि पुष्करादीनि गंगाद्यास्सरितस्तथा । वासुदेवादयो देवाः संति वै गोतमीतटे

Transliteration

sarāṃsi puṣkarādīni gaṃgādyāssaritastathā | vāsudevādayo devāḥ saṃti vai gotamītaṭe

Translation

At the bank of the Gautamī (Godāvarī) are present sacred lakes such as Puṣkara, and holy rivers beginning with the Gaṅgā; and the gods too—headed by Vāsudeva—indeed abide there.

Word by Word

• सरांसि: lakes
• सरांसि: कर्ता (subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• पुष्करादीनि: beginning with Puṣkara
• पुष्करादीनि: विशेषण (of सरांसि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुष्कर-आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; समासः पुष्कर + आदि (beginning with Puṣkara)

• गङ्गाद्याः: beginning with the Gaṅgā
• गङ्गाद्याः: विशेषण (of सरितः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गङ्गा-आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; समासः गङ्गा + आदि (beginning with Gaṅgā)

• सरितः: rivers
• सरितः: कर्ता (समुच्चित-कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• तथा: also/likewise
• तथा: समुच्चय/अन्वय (also)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• वासुदेव-आदयः: (those) beginning with Vāsudeva
• वासुदेव-आदयः: कर्ता (समुच्चित-कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव-आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; समासः वासुदेव + आदि (beginning with Vāsudeva)

• देवाः: gods
• देवाः: कर्ता (apposition to वासुदेव-आदयः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• सन्ति: are / exist
• सन्ति: क्रिया (verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• वै: indeed
• वै: वाक्य-बल (emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक (indeed)

• गोतमीतटे: on the bank of the Gotamī
• गोतमीतटे: अधिकरण (स्थान-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोतमी-तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; समासः गोतमी + तट (bank of the Gotamī)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Kotirudra Samhita account to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Viśvanātha

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Tryambakeśvara

Sthala Purana: The Gautamī bank is described as a microcosm of all sacred geography: Puṣkara-like lakes, Gaṅgā and other rivers, and even major deities headed by Vāsudeva are present—asserting the kṣetra’s equivalence to pan-Indian tīrthas.

Significance: Bathing and worship here are portrayed as tantamount to visiting multiple tīrthas; the presence of ‘Vāsudeva and other gods’ elevates the site’s universal sanctity.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Gaurī

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Gautami (Godavari)
• Ganga
• Pushkara
• Vasudeva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It proclaims Gautamī-taṭa as a concentrated tīrtha where the merit of many famed waters (Puṣkara, Gaṅgā, etc.) is accessible, indicating that devotion and sacred bathing there can support purification and Shiva-oriented liberation.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

In the Koṭirudrasaṃhitā, tīrthas are praised chiefly as supports for Jyotirliṅga worship; the presence of devas at Gautamī-taṭa underscores the sanctity of approaching Shiva’s Saguna manifestation (Liṅga) there with faith, offerings, and mantra.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is tīrtha-snān (sacred bathing) on the Gautamī bank followed by Liṅga-pūjā with the Pañcākṣarī mantra (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), along with simple vows such as cleanliness, charity, and japa.