Shloka 104
Pūjādi-kathana — Gaṅgā Vratas, Tenfold Worship, Stotra, and Mokṣa on the Riverbank
गंगां गत्वा यैः शरीरं विसृष्टं प्राप्ता धीरास्ते तु देवैः समत्वम् । तस्मात्सुर्वान्प्रोह्य मुक्तिप्रदान्वै सेवेद्गंगामा शरीरस्य पातम् ॥ १०४ ॥
gaṃgāṃ gatvā yaiḥ śarīraṃ visṛṣṭaṃ prāptā dhīrāste tu devaiḥ samatvam | tasmātsurvānprohya muktipradānvai sevedgaṃgāmā śarīrasya pātam || 104 ||
Those steadfast ones who, having gone to the Gaṅgā, cast off their bodies there, attain equality with the gods. Therefore, honoring the gods—bestowers of liberation—one should serve the Gaṅgā and seek the final falling away of the body there.
Suta (narrating the Ganga-mahatmya as transmitted in the Purana)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents the Gaṅgā-tīrtha as a mokṣa-bestowing locus: relinquishing the body at the Gaṅgā is praised as leading to deva-samatva (a divine state), emphasizing the salvific power of sacred place (tīrtha) and sacred death (antya-kāla at a holy river).
Bhakti is implied through “sevet gaṅgām”—serving and revering the Gaṅgā as a divine manifestation. The verse frames liberation not merely as an idea but as a devotional orientation toward a sacred form connected with the devas and dharma.
The verse is primarily tīrtha-dharma rather than a Vedāṅga lesson; practically, it points to ritual conduct (tīrtha-sevā, deva-pūjana, and sacred bathing/observance) as supportive disciplines aligned with dharma and the pursuit of mokṣa.