Shloka 96
Narmadā–Tīrtha-Māhātmya: Sequence of Sacred Fords and Their Fruits
गङ्गेश्वरसमीपे तु गङ्गावदनमुत्तमम् / अकामो वा सकामो वा तत्र स्नात्वा तु मानवः / आजन्मजनितैः पापैर्मुच्यते नात्र संशयः
gaṅgeśvarasamīpe tu gaṅgāvadanamuttamam / akāmo vā sakāmo vā tatra snātvā tu mānavaḥ / ājanmajanitaiḥ pāpairmucyate nātra saṃśayaḥ
গঙ্গেশ্বৰৰ ওচৰত গঙ্গাৰ পৰম উত্তম ‘গঙ্গাবদন’ আছে। নিষ্কাম হওক বা সকাম, যি মানুহে তাত স্নান কৰে, সি জন্মৰ পৰা সঞ্চিত পাপৰ পৰা মুক্ত হয়—ইয়াত সন্দেহ নাই।
Traditional narration within the Kurma Purana’s tirtha-mahatmya section (sage-to-sage/puranic narrator voice, presenting the merit of a Ganga tirtha near Gangeśvara).
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly, by stressing purification: when sins (pāpa) are removed through sacred discipline (tīrtha-snana), the mind becomes fit for Self-knowledge; the verse focuses on preparatory purification rather than defining Ātman.
It highlights tīrtha-snana as a purificatory aid and distinguishes niṣkāma (desireless) and sa-kāma (desire-motivated) approaches—echoing the Kurma Purana’s broader ethic that purity of intention supports higher yogic steadiness and inner clarity.
By locating Ganga’s salvific power ‘near Gangeśvara’ (a Shiva-linked locus) within a Vaishnava Purana, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative vision where Shiva-tirthas and Vishnu’s puranic teaching coexist within one sacred economy of purification.