Shloka 42
The Description of the Greatness of the Gaṅgā
वाराणस्यां विशेषण गंगा सद्यस्तु मोक्षदा । प्रतिमासं चतुर्दश्यामष्टम्यां चैव सर्वदा ॥ ४३ ॥
vārāṇasyāṃ viśeṣaṇa gaṃgā sadyastu mokṣadā | pratimāsaṃ caturdaśyāmaṣṭamyāṃ caiva sarvadā || 43 ||
O distinguished one, in Vārāṇasī the Gaṅgā is indeed an immediate bestower of liberation—always so, and especially each month on the fourteenth lunar day and on the eighth lunar day.
Narada (teaching in a dialogue context associated with the Sanatkumara tradition)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It declares Kashi’s Ganga as a direct means to moksha, emphasizing that contact with the Ganga in Varanasi has exceptional liberating potency, with special monthly sanctity on Ashtami and Chaturdashi.
By highlighting reverence for a Vishnu-associated tirtha (the Ganga in Kashi), it frames liberation as accessible through faithful sacred practice—pilgrimage, purity, and devotional observance on holy tithis.
It relies on calendrical discipline through tithi-observance (Ashtami and Chaturdashi), aligning ritual timing with dharma—an applied aspect of Jyotisha (Vedanga astrology/astronomy) used in Narada Purana rituals.