Greatness of Tryambakeshvara

Suta said

Goutama and his wife worshipped Shiva, and Shiva, ocean of compassion, was pleased and appeared with his ganas. "Great sage," he said, "your devotion is excellent. Ask a boon." Goutama saw Shambhu's beautiful form, bowed in delight and praised him again and again, then stood with joined hands. "Divine lord," he said, "cleanse me of my sin." Shiva was even more pleased by these words.

Shiva said

Sage, you are blessed and have done what you set out to do. You were never stained by sin. All those evil-souled ones deceived you. People who see you are cleansed of sin, so how can you, always devoted to me, be a sinner? The ones who harassed you are sinners with wicked conduct, like killers, and seeing them makes others sinners too. The ungrateful can never be saved.

Suta continued

So spoke Shankara, who gives happiness to the good and punishes the wicked, and he told Goutama in detail of the rishis' wicked conduct. Goutama's mind was amazed at Sharva's words. He bowed devoutly and said: "Mahesha, those rishis did me a great favour. Had they not acted so, how would I have seen you? Blessed are those rishis. They did something more auspicious for me than they knew, for their wicked conduct has brought about my own great purpose." Maheshvara was pleased, glanced at him kindly and said, "You are blessed, best of rishis, Indra among brahmanas. Knowing I am pleased, ask a fine boon."

Goutama thought, "This is how things spread in the world, and it cannot be otherwise. So I should act in a worthy way." Devoted to Shiva, he joined his hands, lowered his head and said: "Lord, what you say is true. What five people do becomes fact, and there is no violating it; what must happen will happen. Lord of the gods, if you are pleased with me, give me Ganga, and do the worlds this good." And he clasped Shiva's lotus feet. Shankara had earlier drawn out and kept the essence of earth and heaven. Brahma had been given a part of it at his marriage, and now Shambhu, kind to his devotees, gave the sage the rest. The water of Ganga took a supreme feminine form.

The best of rishis bowed and praised her: "You are blessed and have fulfilled your purpose. You have purified the world. Ganga, purify me too, or I will surely go to hell." Shambhu said, "Ganga, you always do what benefits everyone. Follow my command and purify Goutama." Hearing both, the purifying Ganga, devoted to Shiva, said: "Lord, after I have purified the rishi and his family I will go back to my own abode. I speak the truth." Mahesha, intent on the welfare of the worlds, answered: "Goddess, you will stay here until the kali yuga, when Vaivasvata is the twenty-eighth Manu." Ganga, supreme river, replied: "Lord Maheshvara, destroyer of Tripura, I will stay if my greatness exceeds everyone's. And also, you must stay here near me, in your lovely body, with Amba and your ganas." Shankara said, "Ganga, listen. I am not separate from you. Even so, I will stay here, and you stay too." Pleased, Ganga worshipped him.

Meanwhile the gods, the ancient rishis, many tirthas and various sacred fields arrived, calling "Victory". They all worshipped Goutama, Ganga and Girisha with love, and Hari, Brahma and all the immortals joined their hands, bowed their shoulders and praised them. Ganga and Girisha were pleased: "Best of gods, we wish to give you pleasure. Ask a boon." The gods said: "Lord of the gods, best of rivers, if you are pleased, then out of compassion for us and for human happiness, stay here." Ganga replied: "For the pleasure of all, why do you not also stay? After I cleanse Goutama I will return where I came from. Gods, how would I be known as distinct from you? If you can establish that, I will certainly stay." They said: "Guru is the best well-wisher of everyone. When Guru is in Simha, we will all come here, without doubt. Supreme river, after purifying the worlds for eleven years we ourselves become defiled. So we will come to you to be cleansed. We say this truthfully, out of affection. Best of rivers, to favour us and give the worlds pleasure, stay here with Shankara. As long as Guru is in Simha we too will stay, bathe in you three times a day and see Shankara, and then our sins will certainly be cleansed. With your leave we will return to our own regions."

Asked so by them and by the great sage Goutama, Shankara lovingly stayed, and so did the best of rivers. Ganga is called Goutami and the lingam Tryambaka, and under those names both are famous and destroy great sins. From that day, whenever Brihaspati enters Simha, all the tirthas and sacred fields, all the gods, rivers and lakes, Ganga and the other rivers, Vasudeva and other gods stay on the banks of Goutami. While they stay there they cannot give their fruits in their own regions, and they regain these on returning. The jyotirlinga, famed as Tryambaka, stands on Goutami's banks and destroys great sins. A person who sees it with devotion, worships it, bows and praises it is freed from all sins. Goutama worshipped it. In this world it grants every pleasure, and in the next, supreme liberation. Lords among sages, I have told you what you asked, and I will tell you whatever else you wish to hear.