Shloka 29
Tīrtha-yātrā-varṇana
Description of Pilgrimage to the Sacred Fords
स्नानं कृत्वा ह्रदे तस्मिन्व्यासेशस्य च दर्शनात् । यत्र तत्र मृतो देवि वाराणस्यां मृतो भवेत् ॥ २९ ॥
snānaṃ kṛtvā hrade tasminvyāseśasya ca darśanāt | yatra tatra mṛto devi vārāṇasyāṃ mṛto bhavet || 29 ||
O Goddess, by bathing in that lake and by having the darśana of Vyāseśa, even one who dies anywhere at all is regarded as having died in Vārāṇasī.
Narada (addressing Devi in the Kashi-Mahatmya narrative)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It teaches that specific tīrtha-actions—snāna in the sacred lake and darśana of Vyāseśa—confer Kāśī-equivalent merit, so powerful that even death elsewhere is counted as death in Vārāṇasī.
Bhakti is implied through darśana: approaching the deity (Vyāseśa) with reverence. The verse frames liberation-oriented merit as arising from devoted encounter with the sacred presence, not merely geography.
Kalpa (ritual procedure) is implicit: the prescribed acts are snāna (purificatory bath) and darśana (temple worship/seeing the deity), illustrating how tīrtha-vidhi is used in Narada Purana pilgrimage practice.