Adhyaya 74
Chapter 74 gives a brief tīrtha-māhātmya as a dialogic report spoken by the sage Mārkaṇḍeya. It centers on a supremely splendid sacred ford on the northern bank of the Revā, called Gautameśvara, said to have been founded by the seer Gautama for the welfare of all people and praised as a “stairway to heaven” in Purāṇic terms of merit. The chapter urges pilgrimage to this site with heightened bhakti, where the deity—hailed as the “teacher of the world”—is present, promising the destruction of sins, moral purification, and residence in heaven. It also lists worldly boons such as victory, relief from suffering, and growth of auspicious fortune, and declares that a single piṇḍa offering can uplift three generations of one’s lineage. Finally, it states that whatever is given there with devotion, whether small or great, is greatly magnified by Gautama’s authority. Gautameśvara is ranked as supreme among tīrthas and affirmed as Rudra’s utterance, strengthening its Śaiva sanctity.
Shlokas
Verse 1
श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । रेवाया उत्तरे कूले तीर्थं परमशोभनम् । सर्वपापहरं मर्त्ये नाम्ना वै गौतमेश्वरम्
Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said: On the northern bank of the Revā there is a supremely splendid tīrtha, known among mortals as Gautameśvara, which removes all sins.
Verse 2
स्थापितं गौतमेनैव लोकानां हितकाम्यया । स्वर्गसोपानरूपं तु तीर्थं पुंसां युधिष्ठिर
Established by Gautama himself for the welfare of the worlds, this tīrtha, O Yudhiṣṭhira, is for men like a staircase leading to heaven.
Verse 3
तत्र गच्छ परं भक्त्या यत्र देवो जगद्गुरुः । पातकस्य विनाशार्थं स्वर्गवासप्रदस्तथा
Go there with supreme devotion, where the Lord—the Teacher of the world—is worshiped; for the destruction of sin, and likewise as a giver of residence in heaven.
Verse 4
सौभाग्यवर्द्धनं तीर्थं जयदं दुःखनाशनम् । पिण्डदानेन चैकेन कुलानामुद्धरेत्त्रयम्
This tīrtha increases good fortune, grants victory, and destroys sorrow. And by a single offering of a piṇḍa, one lifts up three generations of one’s family line.
Verse 5
यत्किंचिद्दीयते भक्त्या स्वल्पं वा यदि वा बहु । तत्सर्वं शतसाहस्रमाज्ञया गौतमस्य हि
Whatever is given with devotion—whether little or much—becomes multiplied a hundred-thousandfold, by the ordinance of Gautama.
Verse 6
तीर्थानां परमं तीर्थं स्वयं रुद्रेण भाषितम्
The supreme tīrtha among tīrthas—proclaimed by Rudra himself.
Verse 74
। अध्याय
Chapter heading: “Adhyāya” (Chapter).