Shloka 15
The Greatness of Bathing in the Ganges
Gaṅgā-snānā-mahātmya
अपि दुष्कृतकर्मा हि लभते परमां गतिम् । स्मरणादेव गंगायाः पापसंघातपंजरम् ॥ १५ ॥
api duṣkṛtakarmā hi labhate paramāṃ gatim | smaraṇādeva gaṃgāyāḥ pāpasaṃghātapaṃjaram || 15 ||
Even a person who has committed evil deeds attains the supreme goal merely by remembering the Gaṅgā, for that remembrance shatters the cage-like enclosure formed by a mass of sins.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in the Uttara-Bhaga tirtha-mahatmya context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It teaches that the sanctity of the Gaṅgā is so great that even simple remembrance (smaraṇa) can break the bondage created by accumulated sins and lead one toward the highest spiritual end (paramā gati).
By emphasizing smaraṇa—devotional recollection—as a potent practice: heartfelt remembrance of a sacred embodiment of purity (Gaṅgā) functions like bhakti, dissolving inner impurity and orienting the mind toward liberation.
No specific Vedāṅga technique is taught here; the practical takeaway is a dhārmic sādhana principle—smaraṇa (recollection) as an accessible purificatory practice within tirtha-mahātmya traditions.