Shloka 53
ब्राह्मणीस्वर्गतिवर्णनम्
Brāhmaṇī-Svargati-Varṇana: Account of a Brāhmaṇa Woman’s Ascent to Heaven
अहो धन्यतमं तीर्थं ब्रह्महत्यानिवारणम् । स्वयं ममज्ज तत्रासौ ब्राह्मणस्सेवकस्तथा
aho dhanyatamaṃ tīrthaṃ brahmahatyānivāraṇam | svayaṃ mamajja tatrāsau brāhmaṇassevakastathā
“Ah! Most blessed is this tīrtha, this sacred ford—an expiation that removes even the sin of brahmin-slaying. There, that brāhmaṇa’s servant himself also bathed by immersion.”
Suta Goswami (narrating the Kotirudra Samhita’s Jyotirliṅga/tīrtha account to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Oṃkāreśvara
Sthala Purana: The brāhmaṇa proclaims the tīrtha ‘most blessed’ and explicitly as an expiator even of brahmahatyā; he then bathes there himself, confirming the site’s salvific reputation in the Narmadā-kṣetra near Nandikeśvara.
Significance: Snāna at this Śiva-tīrtha is framed as pāpa-kṣaya up to mahāpātakas; in Śaiva Siddhānta terms, it signifies loosening of pāśa (bondage) and opening to anugraha (grace).
Mantra: aho dhanyatamaṃ tīrthaṃ brahmahatyānivāraṇam
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse praises a Śaiva tīrtha as supremely auspicious because it functions as a purifier of even the gravest karmic taints (symbolized by brahmahatyā). In Shaiva Siddhānta terms, sincere approach to Shiva-connected sacred space, with humility and right intent, supports the cleansing of pāśa (bondage) and turns the seeker toward grace (anugraha).
In the Koṭirudrasaṃhitā, tīrthas are typically celebrated as extensions of Jyotirliṅga presence—Saguna Shiva’s accessible compassion in place, form, and ritual. The bath is not mere physical cleansing; it is undertaken as an act of devotion aligned to Shiva’s sanctifying power associated with the Liṅga and its pilgrimage tradition.
The direct practice implied is tīrtha-snān (ritual immersion) performed with repentance and devotion; it is naturally paired with Liṅga-pūjā and japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) as an inner purification discipline.