Shiva Purana — Kotirudra Samhita, 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
Anasūyā nói: “Bạch Đại Thánh hiền, bậc đáng tôn kính, phu quân của thiếp—nếu người thật muốn chiêm ngưỡng Gaṅgā, bậc tối thượng trong các dòng sông, xin hãy cùng thiếp đến.”
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.”