The Glory of Gautameshvara Tirtha

Verse 1 (skanda.5.334.1)

मार्कण्डेय उवाच। ततो गच्छेत्तु राजेन्द्र गौतमेश्वरमुत्तमम् । सर्वपापहरं तीर्थं त्रिषु लोकेषु विश्रुतम् ॥ १ ॥

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca| tato gacchettu rājendra gautameśvaramuttamam | sarvapāpaharaṁ tīrthaṁ triṣu lokeṣu viśrutam || 1 ||

Markandeya said: Thereafter, O lord of kings, one should go to the excellent Gautameshvara, a tirtha that removes all sin, renowned in the three worlds.

Verse 2 (skanda.5.334.2)

गौतमेन तपस्तप्तं तत्र तीर्थे युधिष्ठिर । दिव्यं वर्षसहस्रं तु ततस्तुष्टो महेश्वरः ॥ २ ॥

gautamena tapastaptaṁ tatra tīrthe yudhiṣṭhira | divyaṁ varṣasahasraṁ tu tatastuṣṭo maheśvaraḥ || 2 ||

O Yudhishthira, Gautama performed austerity at that tirtha for a thousand divine years; then Maheshvara became pleased.

Verse 3 (skanda.5.334.3)

प्रणम्य शिरसा तत्र स्थापितः परमेश्वरः । स्थापितो गौतमेनेशो गौतमेश्वर उच्यते ॥ ३ ॥

praṇamya śirasā tatra sthāpitaḥ parameśvaraḥ | sthāpito gautameneśo gautameśvara ucyate || 3 ||

Bowing his head there, he established Parameshvara; since Ishvara was established by Gautama, he is called Gautameshvara.

Verse 4 (skanda.5.334.4)

तत्र देवैश्च गन्धर्वैरृषिभिः पितृदैवतैः । सम्प्राप्ता ह्युत्तमा सिद्धिराराध्य परमेश्वरम् ॥ ४ ॥

tatra devaiśca gandharvairṛṣibhiḥ pitṛdaivataiḥ | samprāptā hyuttamā siddhirārādhya parameśvaram || 4 ||

There, by gods, gandharvas, sages, and ancestor-deities, supreme accomplishment was obtained by worshipping Parameshvara.

Verse 5 (skanda.5.334.5)

तत्र तीर्थे तु यः स्नात्वा पूजयेत्पितृदेवताः । पूजयेत्परमीशानं सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते ॥ ५ ॥

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā pūjayetpitṛdevatāḥ | pūjayetparamīśānaṁ sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate || 5 ||

Whoever bathes at that tirtha and worships the ancestor-deities, and worships Parameshana, is freed from all sins.

Verse 6 (skanda.5.334.6)

बहवस्तन्न जानन्ति विष्णुमायाविमोहिताः । तत्र संनिहितं देवं शूलपाणिं महेश्वरम् ॥ ६ ॥

bahavastanna jānanti viṣṇumāyāvimohitāḥ | tatra saṁnihitaṁ devaṁ śūlapāṇiṁ maheśvaram || 6 ||

Many people, deluded by Vishnu's Maya, do not know that the trident-wielding god Maheshvara is intimately present there.

Verse 7 (skanda.5.334.7)

ब्रह्मचारी तु यो भूत्वा तत्र तीर्थे नरेश्वर । स्नात्वार्चयेन्महादेवं सोऽश्वमेधफलं लभेत् ॥ ७ ॥

brahmacārī tu yo bhūtvā tatra tīrthe nareśvara | snātvārcayenmahādevaṁ so'śvamedhaphalaṁ labhet || 7 ||

O lord of men, whoever, observing celibacy, bathes at that tirtha and worships Mahadeva, obtains the fruit of the Ashvamedha.

Verse 8 (skanda.5.334.8)

ब्रह्मचारी तु यो भूत्वा तर्पयेत्पितृदेवताः । पूजयेत्परमीशानं सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते ॥ ८ ॥

brahmacārī tu yo bhūtvā tarpayetpitṛdevatāḥ | pūjayetparamīśānaṁ sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate || 8 ||

Whoever, observing celibacy, offers tarpana to the ancestor-deities and worships Parameshana is freed from all sins.

Verse 9 (skanda.5.334.9)

तत्र तीर्थे तु यो दानं भक्त्या दद्याद्द्विजातये । तदक्षयफलं सर्वं नात्र कार्या विचारणा ॥ ९ ॥

tatra tīrthe tu yo dānaṁ bhaktyā dadyāddvijātaye | tadakṣayaphalaṁ sarvaṁ nātra kāryā vicāraṇā || 9 ||

Whoever gives a gift with devotion to a brahmin at that tirtha — the fruit of it all is imperishable; of this there should be no doubt.

Verse 10 (skanda.5.334.10)

मासे चाश्वयुजे राजन् कृष्णपक्षे चतुर्दशीम् । स्नात्वा तत्र विधानेन दीपकानां शतं ददेत् ॥ १० ॥

māse cāśvayuje rājan kṛṣṇapakṣe caturdaśīm | snātvā tatra vidhānena dīpakānāṁ śataṁ dadet || 10 ||

O king, in the month of Ashvina, on the fourteenth of the dark fortnight, having bathed there according to the rites, one should offer a hundred lamps.

Verse 11 (skanda.5.334.11)

पूजयित्वा महादेवं गन्धपुष्पादिभिर्नरः । मुच्यते सर्वपापेभ्यो मृतः शिवपुरं व्रजेत् ॥ ११ ॥

pūjayitvā mahādevaṁ gandhapuṣpādibhirnaraḥ | mucyate sarvapāpebhyo mṛtaḥ śivapuraṁ vrajet || 11 ||

A man who worships Mahadeva with sandal-paste, flowers, and the like is freed from all sins, and after death goes to the city of Shiva.

Verse 12 (skanda.5.334.12)

अष्टम्यां च चतुर्दश्यां कार्त्तिक्यां तु विशेषतः । उपोष्य प्रयतो भूत्वा घृतेन स्नापयेच्छिवम् ॥ १२ ॥

aṣṭamyāṁ ca caturdaśyāṁ kārttikyāṁ tu viśeṣataḥ | upoṣya prayato bhūtvā ghṛtena snāpayecchivam || 12 ||

On the eighth and fourteenth days, and especially in Kartika, having fasted and become pure, one should bathe Shiva with ghee,

Verse 13 (skanda.5.334.13)

पञ्चगव्येन मधुना दध्ना वा शीतवारिणा । स च सर्वस्य यज्ञस्य फलं प्राप्नोति मानवः ॥ १३ ॥

pañcagavyena madhunā dadhnā vā śītavāriṇā | sa ca sarvasya yajñasya phalaṁ prāpnoti mānavaḥ || 13 ||

— with panchagavya, with honey, with curd, or with cool water; and that man obtains the fruit of every sacrifice.

Verse 14 (skanda.5.334.14)

भक्त्या तु पूजयेत्पश्चात्स लभेत्फलमुत्तमम् । बिल्वपत्रैरखण्डैश्च पुष्पैरुन्मत्तकोद्भवैः ॥ १४ ॥

bhaktyā tu pūjayetpaścātsa labhetphalamuttamam | bilvapatrairakhaṇḍaiśca puṣpairunmattakodbhavaiḥ || 14 ||

Then, having worshipped with devotion, he obtains the highest fruit — with unbroken bilva leaves, and with flowers born of the datura plant,

Verse 15 (skanda.5.334.15)

कुशापामार्गसहितैः कदम्बद्रोणजैरपि । मल्लिकाकरवीरैश्च रक्तपीतैः सितासितैः ॥ १५ ॥

kuśāpāmārgasahitaiḥ kadambadroṇajairapi | mallikākaravīraiśca raktapītaiḥ sitāsitaiḥ || 15 ||

with kusha grass and apamarga, with flowers born of kadamba and drona, with mallika and karavira, red and yellow, white and dark —

Verse 16 (skanda.5.334.16)

पुष्पैरन्यैर्यथालाभं यो नरः पूजयेच्छिवम् । नैरन्तर्येण षण्मासं योऽर्चयेद्गौतमेश्वरम् । सर्वान्कामानवाप्नोति मृतः शिवपुरं व्रजेत् ॥ १६ ॥

puṣpairanyairyathālābhaṁ yo naraḥ pūjayecchivam | nairantaryeṇa ṣaṇmāsaṁ yo'rcayedgautameśvaram | sarvānkāmānavāpnoti mṛtaḥ śivapuraṁ vrajet || 16 ||

— and with other flowers as available, whoever worships Shiva; whoever worships Gautameshvara continuously for six months obtains all his desires, and after death goes to the city of Shiva.