Shloka 61
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā: Purification, Ancestor Rites, and Liberation
अमृतेन महादेवि भागीरथि पुनीहि मां । त्रिभिः श्लोकवरैरेभिर्यः स्नायाज्जाह्नवी जले
amṛtena mahādevi bhāgīrathi punīhi māṃ | tribhiḥ ślokavarairebhiryaḥ snāyājjāhnavī jale
يا مها ديفي، يا بهاجيراثي، طهّريني برحيق الخلود (أمرتَه). ومن اغتسل في مياه الجاهنَفي (الغانغا) وهو يتلو هذه الأبيات الثلاثة الفاضلة صار طاهرًا.
Unspecified (verse addresses Bhāgīrathī/Gaṅgā and Mahādevī; likely part of a prescribed prayer/ritual statement)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: river
Sandhi Resolution Notes: एभिर्यः = एभिः + यः; स्नायाज्जाह्नवी = स्नायात् + जाह्नवी (त् + ज → ज्ज)
FAQs
It identifies the Jāhnavī/Bhāgīrathī—names of the Gaṅgā—as a premier tīrtha whose waters are believed to purify, linking spiritual merit to a specific sacred river landscape.
By directly addressing the divine river as a personified goddess and seeking her grace (“purify me”), the verse frames purification as a devotional act combined with sacred recitation and pilgrimage bathing.
The verse promotes inner and outer purification through disciplined practice—reverent speech (recitation), respectful engagement with sacred places (tīrtha), and a sincere intention to be cleansed of impurity.