Saturday, May 28, 2016

Shri Tryambakeshwar

This is the tenth of the twelve Jyotirlignas. It is located on the banks of river Godavari, also known as Gautami, at Tryambakeshwar near Nashik in state of Maharashtra. The Linga has unique shape which resembles the bottom part of a founding stone (Ukhal) with a hollow portion in the middle. Inside this hole, there are three lingas having shape of the thumb, hence the linga is known as Tryambakeshwar. There is a constant water flow from an orifice (hole) located above the ShivaLinga. The place attracts thousands of people as darshan of this linga helps satisfy their material desire and find spiritual solace. Every twelve years, when the planet Jupiter comes in the zodiac sign of Leo, Kumbha Mela is held throughout the period when Jupiter is transiting through Leo.

Legends


Sage Gautama and his wife Ahilya were doing penance in Dakshina mountains. Once there was a long spell of drought in that region. They pleased Lord Varuna (Rain God) by their severe penance. They got a boon from him, which blessed them with constant flow of abundant water at their place resulting in abundant growth of grains in their ashram. This abundance of grain and water in the ashram of Gautam rishi caused jealousy in the minds of co-sages and their wives. They created a cow by their Maya (magic) which started destroying the grains. When Gautam rishi threw a small twig at thin cow to drive it away, the cow fell dead. The other sages accused Gautam rishi of go-hatya and banished him to a lonely place on the mountain named Bramhagiri.


Gautam rishi did severe penance at this place and worshiped Lord Shiva with ParthivaLinga. Lord Shiva was pleased by the penance and bestowed two boons. One was to create ganga in the form of Gautami and the other was to manifest as a JyotirLanga at Tryambakeshwar. According to another legend, Lord Bramha gave a curse to Lord Shiva during the manifestation of the first JyotirLinga of Ardra Nakshatra that Tryambakeshwar Linga should be pushed under the ground. Hence this linga is small in size in a depression on the floor with water flowing constantly on it from the top.


There is a teertha known as varaha-teertha where Lord Vishnu had a bath in river Gautami during Varaha-Avatar. The spring at Bramhagiri from where Godavari emerges is known as Ganga-Dwar. After emerging at this place Godavari almost disappears and re-appears at Tahalhati. 


When Gautami Ganga, that was received as boon, started flowing, due to its flow Sage Gautam could not take a bath in it and so he threw Darbha (Kusha) in the way of Ganga to stop her. The place is known as Kushavarta-teertha. 

On the parikrama path there are number of holy teerthas namely Ram teertha, Prayag teertha, Narasimha teertha etc. 

According to puranas, people can absolve of sarpa-dosha by performing Narayan-Naag bali and Pitru Dosha by performing Tri-Pindi Shraddha at Tryambakeshwar.



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