Shloka 33
तद्दिनात्पावनं तीर्थमासीदीदृशमुत्तमम् । नन्दिकेशः शिवः ख्यातः सर्वपापविनाशनः
taddinātpāvanaṃ tīrthamāsīdīdṛśamuttamam | nandikeśaḥ śivaḥ khyātaḥ sarvapāpavināśanaḥ
From that very day, that sacred tīrtha became supremely purifying. There, Śiva became renowned as Nandikeśa—the Lord who destroys all sins.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: The verse gives a classic tīrtha-etymology: ‘from that day’ the ford becomes pāvana due to Śiva’s presence and naming as Nandikeśa. The sanctity is not inherent merely in geography but in Śiva’s anugraha and the ensuing tradition of worship.
Significance: Promises sarva-pāpa-kṣaya through contact with the tīrtha and devotion to Nandikeśa—functioning as a localized gateway from pāśa (bondage/impurity) toward śuddhi and eligibility for higher sādhana.
FAQs
It declares that a specific place became a highly purifying tīrtha by Śiva’s presence, affirming the Shaiva Siddhanta view that grace (anugraha) from Pati (Śiva) is the true purifier that burns pāpa and turns the mind toward liberation.
By naming Śiva as “Nandikeśa” at a tīrtha, the verse emphasizes Saguna Śiva worship—approaching the Lord through a holy place and His manifest form/name—an approach commonly linked in Kotirudra narratives to pilgrimage and Jyotirliṅga-centered devotion.
A practical takeaway is tīrtha-sevā: bathing with remembrance of Śiva, followed by japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and offering water to Śiva (liṅga/arcā), cultivating repentance and devotion as the means for pāpa-kṣaya.