Trimbakeshwar Temple, Trimbak,
Nashik – Legends
Jyotirlinga:
According to Shiva
Mahapuraan, Brahma (The Creator) and Vishnu (The
Preserver) once had a disagreement about which of them was supreme. To
test them, Shiva pierced
the three worlds as an immeasurable pillar of light, the Jyotirlinga. Vishnu and Brahma parted
company to determine the extent of each end of the pillar. Brahma,
who had set off upward, lied that he had discovered the upper end of the
pillar, but Vishnu,
who had gone in the direction of the base of the pillar, admitted that he had
not. Shiva then
appeared as a second Jyotirlinga and cursed Brahma,
telling him that he would have no place in the ceremonies, though Vishnu would
be worshipped until the 'end of eternity'.
The Jyotirlinga is
the supreme indivisible reality from which Shiva appears.
jyotirlinga shrines commemorate this time when Shiva appeared. It
was believed that there were originally sixty-four Jyothirlingas. Twelve are
considered to be especially auspicious and holy. Each of the twelve sites takes
the name of the presiding deity and each is considered a separate manifestation
of Shiva. At
all these sites, the primary deity is a lingam
representing the beginning less and endless Stambha pillar,
symbolizing the Shiva's infinite nature.
The twelve jyotirlingas are;
·
Somnath in Gujarat,
·
Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andhra
Pradesh,
·
Mahakaleswar at Ujjain
in Madhya Pradesh,
·
Omkareshwar in Madhya
Pradesh,
·
Kedarnath in
Uttarakhand,
·
Bhimashankar in Maharashtra,
·
Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar
Pradesh,
·
Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra,
·
Vaidyanath at Deoghar in Jharkhand,
·
Nageshvara
Jyotirlinga,
·
Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil
Nadu,
·
Grishneshwar at Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
Eroding
Linga:
Trimbakeshwar is a religious center having one of the
twelve Jyotirlingas. The extraordinary feature of the
Jyotirlinga located here is its three faces embodying Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu
and Lord Rudra. Due to excessive use of water, the Linga has started to erode.
It is said that this erosion symbolizes the eroding nature of human society.
Ancient
Crown gifted by Pandavas:
The Lingas are covered by a jeweled crown which is
placed over the Gold Mask of Tridev (Brahma Vishnu Mahesh). The crown is said
to be from the age of Pandavas and consists of diamonds, emeralds, and many
precious stones. The crown is displayed every Monday from 4-5 pm.
Origin
of Godavari River:
Lord Brahma worshipped God Trivikrama when he came to
Satya Loka (on earth) with the same holy water of the Ganges, to get the river
Ganges held up by God Shankar on his head, to flow. There was a famine of 24
years and people were affected by hunger. However, Varuna - the God of Rains,
pleased with Sage Gautama arranged rains every day in Gautama's Ashram
(dwelling place) which was in Trimbakeshwar.
Gautama used to sow rice in the surrounding fields of his Ashram in the
morning, reap the crop in the afternoon and with it fed a large group of Rishis,
who took shelter in his Ashram on account of the famine.
The blessings of the group of Rishis increased the merit
(Punya) of Gautama. Lord Indra's position became shaky because of his increased
merit. So, Indra ordered clouds to rain all over Trimbakeshwar, so that the
famine will be over, and Rishis will go back, and the increasing merits of
Gautama will be weakened. Although the famine was over, Gautama urged the
Rishis to stay back and kept on feeding them and gaining merit. Once he saw a
cow grazing in the paddy field and he drove her away by throwing Darbha (sharp,
pointed grass). The slender cow died by this. It was Jaya - Parvati's friend,
who had taken the form of a cow. This news upset the Rishis and they refused to
stay at his Ashram.
Gautama requested Rishis to show a way out of this sin.
He was advised to approach Lord Shiva and request him to release Ganges and a
bath in the Ganges would set him free of his sins. Gautama then practiced
penance by going to the peak of Brahmagiri for 1000 years. Lord Shankara was
pleased by his worships and gave him the Ganges. However, Ganges was not
prepared to part with Lord Shiva, which irritated him. He made Nrutya Tandava (dance)
on the peak of Brahmagiri and dashed his Jata there. Frightened by this action,
Ganges appeared on Brahmagiri.
Later, Ganges appeared in the Trimbak Tirtha. Gautama
praised her but she off and on appeared on the mountain at various places and
disappeared in anger. Gautama could not bathe in her waters. Ganges then
appeared in Gangadwar, Varaha Tirtha, Rama Laxman tirtha, Ganga Sagar Tirtha.
Still Gautama could not bathe in her waters. The Gautama surrounded the river
with enchanted grass and put a vow to her. The flow stopped there and the
tirtha thus came to be called Kushavarta. It is from this Kushavarta that the
river Godavari flows up to the sea. The sin of killing a cow by Gautama was
wiped off here.
Place of
Salvation:
Trimbakeshwar is also the place where a drop of nectar
fell during churning of ocean, hence a Kumbha Mela is held every twelve years
in this place. And hence it is also place of salvation. It is the only place along
with Ujjain where Jyotirlinga and Kumbha Mela both are present.
Dosha
Parihara Sthalam:
It is only here where Pitrudosha, Karlsarpa Dosha are
removed by performing poojas like Karlsarpa Shanti Pooja, Narayan
Nagbali and Tripindi Shradha.
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