Shloka 17
The Description of the Glory of Dvādaśī
न गंगा न गया भूप न काशी न च पुष्करम् । न चापि कैरवं क्षेत्रं न रेवा न च देविका ॥ १७ ॥
na gaṃgā na gayā bhūpa na kāśī na ca puṣkaram | na cāpi kairavaṃ kṣetraṃ na revā na ca devikā || 17 ||
O king, neither the Gaṅgā, nor Gayā, nor Kāśī, nor Puṣkara; nor even the sacred field of Kairava, nor the Revā (Narmadā), nor the Devikā—none of these, by themselves, are the decisive means to the highest end.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It lists renowned tīrthas to stress that sacred places alone are not the final guarantee of liberation; the Purāṇic intent is to point beyond geography to the inner cause—right devotion, conduct, and remembrance of the Divine.
By relativizing even the greatest pilgrimage sites, it implies that bhakti (steady devotion and surrender) is superior to mere physical travel; tīrtha becomes fruitful when joined with sincere worship, nāma-smaraṇa, and dharmic living.
The verse primarily concerns tīrtha-dharma rather than a specific Vedāṅga; practically, it cautions that ritual acts (including tīrtha-yātrā and śrāddha contexts like Gayā) must be grounded in right intention and disciplined practice to yield higher spiritual results.