Shloka 21
Gaṅgā-Avataraṇa and the Naming of Gaṅgādvāra (गङ्गावतरणम्—गङ्गाद्वारप्रसिद्धिः)
तत्र स्नातो नरो यस्तु मोक्षाय परिकल्पते । त्यक्त्वा सर्वानघान्सद्यो विज्ञानं प्राप्य दुर्लभम्
tatra snāto naro yastu mokṣāya parikalpate | tyaktvā sarvānaghānsadyo vijñānaṃ prāpya durlabham
But whoever bathes there and dedicates himself to liberation (mokṣa), casting off all sins at once, attains that rare vijñāna—spiritual realization that leads to mokṣa.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: The verse speaks generically of a tīrtha-bath that immediately removes sin and yields rare vijñāna leading to mokṣa; it functions as a tīrtha-māhātmya statement rather than naming a specific Jyotirliṅga.
Significance: Snāna with mokṣa-saṅkalpa is said to destroy pāpa at once and mature the aspirant into rare direct discernment (vijñāna), i.e., fitness for Śiva’s liberating grace.
FAQs
It teaches that tīrtha-bathing becomes spiritually potent when joined with a moksha-oriented resolve (sankalpa): by Shiva’s grace, sins fall away and rare direct realization (vijñāna) arises, which ripens into liberation.
In the Kotirudra context of Jyotirlinga pilgrimage, the holy bath is an अंग (supporting limb) of Saguna Shiva worship—approaching the Jyotirlinga with purity and intent invites Shiva’s anugraha, transforming external ritual into inner awakening.
Perform tīrtha-snana with a clear moksha-sankalpa, then worship Shiva (especially the Jyotirlinga) with mantra-japa—commonly the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—as the inner practice that supports the rise of vijñāna.