Shloka 7
Kāśī-māhātmya: Avimukta Gaṅgā and the Pañcanada Tīrtha
स्नानमात्रेण सर्वेभ्यः पातकेभ्यः प्रमुच्यते । काश्यामुत्तरवाहिन्यां गंगायां कार्तिके तथा ॥ ७ ॥
snānamātreṇa sarvebhyaḥ pātakebhyaḥ pramucyate | kāśyāmuttaravāhinyāṃ gaṃgāyāṃ kārtike tathā || 7 ||
Schon durch das bloße Bad wird man von allen Sünden befreit—besonders durch das Bad in Kāśī, in der nach Norden strömenden Gaṅgā, und ebenso im Monat Kārtika.
Sūta (narrating the Narada–Sanatkumāra dialogue)
Vrata: Kārtika-snānānuṣṭhāna (month-long Kārtika bathing; implicit as a seasonal observance)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It declares the exceptional purificatory power of tīrtha-snāna—especially Gaṅgā bathing at Kāśī and during Kārtika—as a direct means for the removal of pāpa (sin/impurity).
By highlighting Kāśī and Gaṅgā in Kārtika—times and places traditionally associated with heightened worship—it supports bhakti through embodied practice: approaching a sacred tīrtha with faith and performing snāna as an act of reverence.
Kalpa (ritual procedure) and Jyotiṣa (sacred calendrics) are implied: the act is snāna, and the timing is specified as the lunar month Kārtika, indicating vrata/observance aligned with traditional time-reckoning.