Shloka 29
The Greatness of Bathing in the Ganges
Gaṅgā-snānā-mahātmya
यच्छ्रुत्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मुच्यते नात्र संशयः । स्नातस्य गंगासलिले सद्यः पापं प्रणश्यति ॥ २९ ॥
yacchrutvā sarvapāpebhyo mucyate nātra saṃśayaḥ | snātasya gaṃgāsalile sadyaḥ pāpaṃ praṇaśyati || 29 ||
এ কথা শুনলেই মানুষ সকল পাপ থেকে মুক্ত হয়—এতে সন্দেহ নেই। যে গঙ্গাজলে স্নান করে, তার পাপ তৎক্ষণাৎ বিনষ্ট হয়।
Sage Narada (teaching in the Uttara-Bhaga context of Tirtha-Mahatmya)
Vrata: none
Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"shanta","secondary_rasa":"bhakti","emotional_journey":"Assures the listener of sin-destruction through hearing and bathing, ending in emphatic immediacy (sadyaḥ) of purification."}
FAQs
It asserts two purifying powers central to Tirtha-Mahatmya: śravaṇa (hearing sacred narration) frees one from sin, and Gaṅgā-snān (bathing in the Ganga) destroys sin immediately, emphasizing grace through holy association and pilgrimage.
By highlighting śravaṇa—devotional hearing—as intrinsically liberating, the verse aligns with Bhakti practice where attentive listening to sacred accounts and names becomes a direct means of inner purification.
It points to kalpa-oriented practice (ritual discipline) through snāna at a tīrtha as a form of prāyaścitta (expiatory purification), a practical dharma application rather than a technical treatment of grammar or astrology.