Shloka 22
The Description of the Greatness of the Gaṅgā
योऽसौ सर्वगतो विष्णुश्चित्स्वरूपी जनार्दनः । स एव द्रवरूपेण गंगांभो नात्र संशयः ॥ २३ ॥
yo'sau sarvagato viṣṇuścitsvarūpī janārdanaḥ | sa eva dravarūpeṇa gaṃgāṃbho nātra saṃśayaḥ || 23 ||
Jener allgegenwärtige Viṣṇu—Janārdana, dessen Wesen reines Bewusstsein ist—ist selbst in flüssiger Gestalt als das Wasser der Gaṅgā gegenwärtig; daran besteht kein Zweifel.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in the Uttara-Bhaga tirtha-mahātmya context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta (peace)
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta (wonder)
FAQs
It identifies the Gaṅgā not merely as holy water but as Viṣṇu Himself in a tangible, flowing form—making tirtha-sevā (reverent engagement with a pilgrimage site) a direct mode of approaching the Supreme.
By equating Gaṅgā-jala with Janārdana, the verse frames simple acts—reverence, remembrance, and ritual bathing—as Viṣṇu-bhakti performed through a visible divine embodiment, strengthening śraddhā and surrender.
Primarily kalpa-oriented practice (ritual application): it supports tirtha-vidhi such as Gaṅgā-snānā (sacred bathing) and related observances; no specific jyotiṣa/vyākaraṇa detail is taught in this verse itself.