Śesha Receives the Triśūla (Nāgatīrtha)

Śesha Triśūla Prāpti, “Śesha’s receiving of the triśūla”

Nāgatīrtha, also called Śeshatīrtha, is a tīrtha on the Gautamī where Śesha, the great Nāga, received a triśūla from Bhagavān Śiva. Brahmā tells Nārada its account in Chapter 45 of the Gautamī Māhātmya of the Brahma Purāṇa, and says that it grants every cherished desire. Śesha, king of pātāla, was driven out of Rasātala by rākshasas, daityas and dānavas, and took refuge in Brahmā, who sent him to the Gautamī. There Śesha bathed and praised Śiva, and Bhagavān Śiva, delighted, gave him a triśūla with which he slew his enemies. Śesha returned to the place where Śiva dwells as Śesheśvara; a chasm opened along his path from Rasātala, through which the water of the Gaṅgā flows; a great homa-kuṇḍa with an ever-present fire stands before Śesheśvara, and the water there is hot. The tīrtha gives long life, good fortune and moksha.

Śesha driven from Rasātala

The great Nāga named Śesha was the king of pātāla. Surrounded by all the Nāgas, he went to Rasātala, but rākshasas, daityas and dānavas had entered Rasātala and drove the king of the Nāgas out. Troubled, Śesha said to Brahmā: “You gave Rasātala to the rākshasas and to me. They give me no room. So I take refuge in you.” Brahmā said: “Go to the Gautamī, O Nāga. By praising Mahādeva there you will gain all you desire. There is no other tīrtha in the three worlds that can grant what you wish.”

Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 45

Śesha’s stotra to Śiva

Moved by Brahmā‘s word, the Nāga bathed carefully in the Gaṅgā and with joined palms praised Bhagavān Śiva, master of the devas:

• Namaskāra to the master of the three worlds; to the destroyer of Daksha’s yajña; to you, the first maker; to him who is the three worlds.
• Namaskāra to the thousand-headed one; to him who works the dissolution; to you whose form is Kāla.
• “Save me, O Śaṅkara, Sarveśvara, master of all; save me, O Somanātha, you who are with Umā, all-pervading one.”
• “O Jagannātha, namaskāra to you. Give me whatever I desire in my mind.”

Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 45

The triśūla

Then Maheśvara, delighted, granted the varas the Nāga desired. For the destruction of the enemies of the devas, the daityas, dānavas and rākshasas, he gave Śesha a divine triśūla and said, “Slay the leading enemies with this.” Śesha returned to Rasātala with the other Nāgas and slew his enemies in battle. Having slain the daityas, dānavas and rākshasas with the triśūla, he came back to the place where Bhagavān Hara is present as Śesheśvara.

Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 45

The chasm, the fire and the confluence

Along the path by which the king of the Nāgas came up from Rasātala to the place of Śesheśvara, to have his darśana, a chasm opened. The holy water of the Gaṅgā flows through that chasm and gives great puṇya, and that water flows into the Gaṅgā; beyond it is the confluence (saṅgama) with the Gaṅgā. In front of Śesheśvara is a large homa-kuṇḍa. At the place where the Nāga performed homa a fire remained present always, and the water became hot; it is here that the confluence of the Gaṅgā is.

Having worshipped Bhagavān Śiva, master of the devas, and gained from Bhagavān Śiva what he desired, the famed Nāga went to Rasātala, delighted.

Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 45

Nāgatīrtha, Śesheśvara and their phala

From then on that tīrtha has been called Nāgatīrtha. The place where Bhagavān Śiva handed the triśūla to Śesha is the tīrtha Śesheśvara. In all there are two thousand one hundred tīrthas on the banks of the river there, and they bestow every kind of wealth.

Phala: Nāgatīrtha is holy and fulfils every desire; it destroys sickness and poverty; it gives long life and good fortune; through snāna and dāna there it gives moksha. One who hears or reads this account with bhakti, or remembers it, attains moksha.

Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 45

Sources

• Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 45