Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 81
पुष्पार्पण-विनिर्णयः
Determination of Flower-Offerings to Śiva
धारा गंगाजलस्यैव भुक्तिमुक्तिफलप्रदा । एतास्सर्वाश्च याः प्रोक्ता मृत्यंजयसमुद्भवाः
dhārā gaṃgājalasyaiva bhuktimuktiphalapradā | etāssarvāśca yāḥ proktā mṛtyaṃjayasamudbhavāḥ
Incluso una sola corriente de agua del Gaṅgā otorga los frutos tanto del goce mundano como de la liberación. Todo esto que se ha descrito nace de Mṛtyuñjaya—Śiva, el Vencedor de la Muerte.
Sūta Gosvāmin
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: The verse praises Gaṅgā-jala as intrinsically salvific (bhukti–mukti) and grounds its efficacy in Mṛtyuñjaya Śiva, implying that tīrtha-power is ultimately Śiva’s grace operating through sacred waters.
Significance: Even minimal contact/usage of Gaṅgā-water is said to yield both dharmic prosperity (bhukti) and liberation (mukti), framing pilgrimage merit as Śiva-anugraha rather than mere physical act.
Type: mahamrityunjaya
FAQs
It declares that Gaṅgā-jala is not merely purifying but fruit-giving—granting both bhukti and mukti—because its sanctity ultimately springs from Śiva as Mṛtyuñjaya, whose grace overcomes death and bondage.
In Saguna worship, offering Gaṅgā-water to the Shiva Liṅga is a direct act of bhakti; the verse frames the offering’s power as Śiva-derived (Mṛtyuñjaya-samudbhava), emphasizing that the Liṅga is the accessible form through which Śiva’s liberating grace is received.
A practical takeaway is abhiṣeka of the Shiva Liṅga with Gaṅgā-jala while remembering Mṛtyuñjaya—commonly paired with japa of the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra for protection, purification, and liberation-oriented devotion.