Shloka 5
Gaṅgā-Avataraṇa and the Naming of Gaṅgādvāra (गङ्गावतरणम्—गङ्गाद्वारप्रसिद्धिः)
गौतमस्य च ये शिष्या अन्ये चैव महर्षयः । समागताश्च ते तत्र स्नानं चक्रुर्मुदान्विताः
gautamasya ca ye śiṣyā anye caiva maharṣayaḥ | samāgatāśca te tatra snānaṃ cakrurmudānvitāḥ
There too arrived Gautama’s disciples, along with other great seers; and, filled with joy, they performed the sacred bath at that holy place.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: The tīrtha’s efficacy spreads communally: disciples and other maharṣis gather for snāna, showing how grace becomes shared religious culture and a collective means of purification.
Significance: Emphasizes saṅga (holy company) and communal tīrtha-snāna as accelerants of merit; the place becomes a magnet for seekers.
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It highlights tirtha-snana performed with glad devotion as an outer act of purification that supports inner Śiva-bhakti, preparing seekers for grace (anugraha) and steadiness in worship.
In the Kotirudra context of Jyotirlinga pilgrimage, the joyful sacred bath is a preparatory rite before approaching Saguna Shiva as the Jyotirlinga—entering the shrine with purity, reverence, and collected mind.
Tirtha-snana (ritual bathing) with a devotional mindset; as a practical takeaway, one may bathe, apply Tripuṇḍra (bhasma), and remember Shiva with the Panchākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—before darśana.