Shloka 27
The Greatness of Bathing in the Ganges
Gaṅgā-snānā-mahātmya
गंगातोयं नरः स्पृष्ट्वा मुच्यते सर्वपातकैः । कदा द्रक्ष्यामि तां गंगां कदा स्नानं लभे ह्यहम् ॥ २७ ॥
gaṃgātoyaṃ naraḥ spṛṣṭvā mucyate sarvapātakaiḥ | kadā drakṣyāmi tāṃ gaṃgāṃ kadā snānaṃ labhe hyaham || 27 ||
Schon durch bloßes Berühren des Wassers der Gaṅgā wird der Mensch von allen Sünden befreit. Wann werde ich jene Gaṅgā schauen, und wann werde ich wahrlich den Segen erhalten, in ihr zu baden?
Narada (expressing longing within the Ganga-tirtha context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It teaches the tirtha-prabhava (power of a sacred ford): even contact with Gaṅgā-water is portrayed as purifying, and it elevates the longing to see and bathe in the Gaṅgā as a spiritually transformative aspiration.
Bhakti appears as yearning (viraha-like longing) for a holy presence—here, Gaṅgā as a sacred embodiment—showing that sincere desire to approach the divine/sacred is itself a devotional movement toward purification.
Ritual practice is implied: snāna (sacred bathing) and sparśa (touch-contact) as purificatory acts within tirtha-vidhi; it aligns with dharma-śāstra style guidance on when and how pilgrimage and bathing generate puṇya.