Gautameśvara Tīrtha (Sea-confluence)

Gautameśvara Tīrtha · gautama-īśvara-tīrtha, “the tīrtha of the lord of Gautama”

Gautameśvara has other meanings too: see all meanings of Gautameśvara.

Gautameśvara is a tīrtha at the place where the Gaṅgā, the Gautamī, joins the eastern sea. There Bhagavān Maheśvara is called Gautameśvara, and Mādhava, Bhagavān Vishṇu, is ever present together with Ramā, Devī Lakshmī. Brahmā names it first among the tīrthas of the sea-confluence in the last chapter of the Gautamī Māhātmya of the Brahma Purāṇa, right after telling Nārada how Bhagavān Śiva and Bhagavān Hari revealed themselves to the ṛshis when the river met the sea.

The Gautamī meets the sea

Brahmā tells Nārada that the Gaṅgā, the Gautamī, worthy of honour even by the devas, joined the eastern sea, and all the devas followed her. The great ṛshis, Vasishṭha, Jābāli, Yājñavalkya, Kratu, Aṅgiras, Daksha, Marīci, Bhṛgu, Atri, Gautama, Agastya, Vāmadeva and many others, came to the divine river and praised her with mantras and Vedic passages. Seeing the river meet the sea, Bhagavān Śiva and Bhagavān Hari revealed themselves to the ṛshis. The devas praised the two, who take away the distress of all, while the pitṛs looked on with reverence, and the Ādityas, Vasus, Rudras, Maruts and the guardians of the quarters joined their palms and prayed to Hari and Śaṅkara. “These two,” Brahmā says, “are ever established in the seven well-known confluences and at the meeting of the ocean and the Gaṅgā.”

Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 104

Gautameśvara

At that meeting of the river and the sea is the place where Bhagavān Maheśvara is called Gautameśvara. There Mādhava is ever present together with Ramā. After it Brahmā names Brahmeśvara, the liṅga he himself installed, and the other tīrthas of the place.

Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 104

The phala of the sea-confluence

The Godāvarī destroys all pāpas and bestows supreme wealth everywhere, but especially where she joins the ocean. Whoever bathes at the confluence of the Godāvarī and the sea is full of puṇya, redeems his pitṛs from terrible naraka and goes to the city of Śiva.

Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 103

Sources

• Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapters 103–104