Shloka 31
Gautama–Ahalyā-Upākhyāna: Durbhikṣa, Tapas, and Varuṇa’s Boon (गौतमाहल्योपाख्यानम्)
तद्वनं सुन्दरं ह्यासीत्पृथिव्यां मंडले परम् । तदक्षयकरायोगादनावृष्टिर्न दुःखदा
tadvanaṃ sundaraṃ hyāsītpṛthivyāṃ maṃḍale param | tadakṣayakarāyogādanāvṛṣṭirna duḥkhadā
Khu rừng ấy thật vô cùng mỹ lệ, bậc tối thượng trên cõi đất này. Nhờ năng lực bất tận ban phúc thịnh vượng, nên ngay cả khi thiếu mưa, nơi ấy cũng không trở thành nguyên nhân của khổ đau.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: The forest is described as ‘supreme on earth’ and endowed with an ‘akṣaya-kara’ (inexhaustible prosperity) power such that drought causes no suffering—typical of kṣetra-māhātmya language indicating divine protection, though no Jyotirliṅga is named in this verse.
Significance: Promises resilience and well-being through sanctified association: the place’s ‘akṣaya’ quality implies sustained support for sādhana and freedom from distress even amid worldly lack.
Shakti Form: Gaurī
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It teaches that a Shiva-sanctified kshetra carries akṣaya (inexhaustible) auspiciousness—by the Lord’s grace, even worldly deficiencies like drought cannot dominate the devotee’s well-being, pointing to Shiva as the remover of duḥkha.
In the Kotirudra context of Jyotirlinga-tirtha glory, the land’s ‘inexhaustible benefit’ is understood as arising from Saguna Shiva’s presence through the Linga, making the place spiritually fertile even when nature appears barren.
Tirtha-seva with steady japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and simple Linga-upachara (water, bilva) is implied—cultivating trust in Shiva’s akṣaya-anugraha rather than anxiety over external conditions.