Shloka 1
The Greatness of Haridvāra
Gaṅgādvāra-māhātmya
अथ गङ्गाद्वारमाहात्म्यं प्रारभ्यते । मोहिन्युवाच । कुरुक्षेत्रस्य माहात्म्यं श्रुतं पापापहं महत् । त्वत्तो द्विजवरश्रेष्ठ सर्वसिद्धिप्रदं नृणाम् ॥ १ ॥
atha gaṅgādvāramāhātmyaṃ prārabhyate | mohinyuvāca | kurukṣetrasya māhātmyaṃ śrutaṃ pāpāpahaṃ mahat | tvatto dvijavaraśreṣṭha sarvasiddhipradaṃ nṛṇām || 1 ||
Nun beginnt die Verherrlichung von Gaṅgādvāra. Mohinī sprach: „Von dir, o Vorzüglichster unter den Brahmanen, habe ich die große, sündenvernichtende Herrlichkeit von Kurukṣetra vernommen—eine Lehre, die den Menschen alle Vollkommenheiten (Siddhis) gewährt.“
Mohinī
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It formally opens the Gaṅgādvāra-māhātmya and frames tīrtha-glorification as a dharmic teaching whose hearing (śravaṇa) destroys sin and leads to spiritual attainments.
By praising śravaṇa of sacred narratives from a qualified brāhmaṇa teacher, it aligns with bhakti’s core practice of hearing holy accounts (kathā/mahimā) that purify the heart and orient one toward sacred places and divine grace.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught in this verse; it emphasizes the practical discipline of śravaṇa and tīrtha-dharma—learning and applying scriptural guidance on pilgrimage and merit.