Shloka 26
अत्रीश्वरमाहात्म्यवर्णनम् (Atrīśvara-māhātmya-varṇanam) — “Account of the Greatness of Atrīśvara”
अनसूयोवाच । शंकरस्य प्रतापाच्च तवैव सुकृतैस्तथा । गंगा समागतात्रैव तदीयं सलिलन्त्विदम्
anasūyovāca | śaṃkarasya pratāpācca tavaiva sukṛtaistathā | gaṃgā samāgatātraiva tadīyaṃ salilantvidam
Anasūyā said: “By the majesty of Śaṅkara, and also by your own accumulated merit, the Gaṅgā has come here herself; this water is truly her sacred stream.”
Anasūyā
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Gaṅgā’s presence is explained as arising from Śaṅkara’s śakti (pratāpa) together with the recipient’s sukṛta; the verse frames Gaṅgā as a grace-mediated tīrtha rather than a geographically fixed river.
Significance: Darśana/saṅga of Gaṅgā-water is treated as direct access to tīrtha-phala through Śiva’s anugraha; it implies purification (mala-kṣaya) and upliftment of the bound soul (paśu) when grace descends into accessible form.
Role: nurturing
FAQs
The verse teaches that sacredness is revealed through Śiva’s anugraha (grace) and the devotee’s sukṛta (merit): the Gaṅgā’s purifying presence is not merely physical but a sign of Śaṅkara’s beneficent power manifesting for the seeker.
In Kotirudra narratives tied to Jyotirliṅga pilgrimage, tirtha-water is used in abhiṣeka and purification; the verse frames such worship as effective because Saguna Śiva (Śaṅkara) actively bestows sanctity and makes holy waters accessible to devotees.
Use the sanctified water for śuddhi (ritual purification) and liṅga-abhiṣeka, while mentally offering it with the Panchākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—recognizing that purity is fulfilled by devotion and Śiva’s grace.