Trimbakeshwar Temple, Trimbak, Nashik – Legends

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.