Tryambakeśvara Jyotirliṅga
Tryambakeśvara is the eighth of the twelve Jyotirliṅgas, the self-arisen liṅgas of light of Śiva (a liṅga is Śiva’s sacred sign or form). It stands at Brahmagiri in the Nāsik district of Maharashtra, near the source of the Godāvarī River.
Its story is about Gautama Ṛshi and his wife Ahalyā, who lived on Brahmagiri during a great twelve-year drought. By Śiva’s grace, Gautama fed the whole community of ṛshis. Out of jealousy, the other ṛshis plotted to drive him away by staging go-hatyā (the killing of a cow). To atone for this pāpa, Gautama did tapas (intense spiritual discipline) and brought the Gaṅgā down from Śiva’s matted hair as the Godāvarī. Pleased with Gautama’s sincere tapas, Śiva made his lasting home at Brahmagiri as Tryambakeśvara.
Location
Tryambakeśvara is in the town of Tryambak (also written Trimbak) near Nāsik in Maharashtra, at the foot of the Brahmagiri mountain. The Godāvarī River rises here. It is the great river of the Deccan, also called Dakshiṇa Gaṅgā, “the Gaṅgā of the south”.
The Story of Its Origin
The Twelve-Year Drought and Gautama’s Service
A terrible drought lasting twelve years struck the whole region around Brahmagiri. Crops failed, water dried up, and the ṛshis who had settled near Brahmagiri faced starvation. The great ṛshi Gautama, whose devotion to Śiva never failed, did intense tapas to Parameśvara and received Śiva’s grace. Through this grace, a wondrous field and supply of water appeared at Gautama’s āśrama (hermitage). It was enough not only for Gautama and his wife Ahalyā but for all the ṛshis who came to him for shelter. Gautama generously looked after thousands of ṛshis and their families for as long as the drought lasted.
The Jealousy of the Ṛshis
When the drought ended and the other ṛshis were ready to leave, they felt ashamed and jealous that Gautama alone had kept them all alive through Śiva’s grace. They made a plot. Using māyā (illusion), they created a dying cow near Gautama’s field. When Gautama came near, the illusory cow fell dead as if he had struck it. It looked like go-hatyā, the killing of a cow, one of the gravest pāpas in dharma.
Gautama was horrified. Even though he had not truly killed the cow, he took on the blame for what seemed to be go-hatyā and resolved to do full atonement.
Gautama’s Tapas and the Coming of the Godāvarī
Gautama did intense tapas on Brahmagiri, offering pūjā to Śiva with complete devotion. His tapas went on for a long time. Śiva appeared and offered him a boon. Gautama asked:
“Grant me the descent of the Gaṅgā here, so that I may be purified of this pāpa.”
Śiva was pleased and made the Godāvarī flow from his own matted hair (jaṭā), just as the Gaṅgā had flowed from his jaṭā for the sake of King Bhagīratha. The Godāvarī came down at Brahmagiri and made the whole land of the Deccan holy. The river is called Godāvarī, and also Gautamī after Gautama, in honour of the ṛshi whose tapas brought her down.
Tryambakeśvara Is Established
The devas, the ṛshis and Gautama himself begged Śiva to stay at Brahmagiri for ever. Śiva agreed and made his home there as Tryambakeśvara, the three-eyed (tryambaka) Īśvara. Tryambaka is one of the oldest names of Śiva. It already appears in the Ṛgveda, in the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra: oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe. At this place Śiva’s three eyes, the sun, the moon and fire, are especially present in the form of the river’s descent, the mountain and the Jyotirliṅga.
The Names Tryambakeśvara and Gautamī
Tryambakeśvara = Tryambaka (three-eyed) + Īśvara (master, ruler). It is one of the oldest and most honoured names of Śiva, rooted in the Vedic Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra.
Throughout the Deccan, the Godāvarī is also called Gautamī, the river of Gautama. Wherever the Godāvarī flows, she carries the puṇya (spiritual merit) of Gautama’s tapas and Śiva’s grace at Brahmagiri.
Why It Matters
The story of Tryambakeśvara shows a great deal about how Śiva relates to dharma. Gautama accepted the results of a pāpa he had not committed. His sincere resolve to atone, which was itself a form of complete surrender, moved Śiva to the most extraordinary grace: bringing the holy Gaṅgā to the Deccan as the Godāvarī. The story also lays bare the failure of the other ṛshis through jealousy, set against Gautama’s humility and Ahalyā’s steady support.
Sources
- Śiva Purāṇa, Koṭi Rudra Saṃhitā, Chapters 24–27