Shloka 31
अत्रीश्वरमाहात्म्यवर्णनम् (Atrīśvara-māhātmya-varṇanam) — “Account of the Greatness of Atrīśvara”
अनसूयोवाच । आगम्यतां मया सार्द्धं त्वया नाथ महामुने । सरिद्वराया गंगाया द्रष्टुमिच्छा भवेद्यदि
anasūyovāca | āgamyatāṃ mayā sārddhaṃ tvayā nātha mahāmune | saridvarāyā gaṃgāyā draṣṭumicchā bhavedyadi
അനസൂയ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ നാഥാ, മഹാമുനേ! നദികളിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠയായ ഗംഗയെ ദർശിക്കുവാൻ ആഗ്രഹമുണ്ടെങ്കിൽ എന്റെ കൂടെ വരിക।
Anasūyā
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: Anasūyā invites the sage to a darśana of Gaṅgā, framing the river as a living tīrtha whose sight itself purifies; no specific Jyotirliṅga is named in this verse.
Significance: Tīrtha-darśana as a means of pāśa-kṣaya (loosening impurity/bondage) through sacred contact and right intention.
FAQs
The verse highlights tirtha-darśana (beholding a sacred place) as a support for inner purification and devotion; seeing Gaṅgā—revered as supremely purifying—becomes a means to steady bhakti and orient the seeker toward Shiva-centered merit and liberation.
In the Kotirudra context of Jyotirliṅga pilgrimage, approaching Gaṅgā and other tīrthas commonly accompanies Liṅga worship—bathing, offering pure water, and performing śiva-pūjā—strengthening Saguna Shiva devotion while aiming at the highest grace of Pati (Shiva).
A practical takeaway is tīrtha-yātrā with reverence: go for Gaṅgā-darśana, perform स्नान (sacred bath) if possible, then offer Gaṅgā-jala to Shiva’s Liṅga while mentally repeating the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya.”