Shloka 44
Tīrtha-vidhi (Procedure for Holy Places) — Prayāgarāja-māhātmya
कुशोऽसि कुशपुत्रोऽसि ब्रह्मणा निर्मितः पुरा । त्वयि स्नाते तु स स्नातो यस्येदं ग्रंथिबन्धनम् ॥ ४४ ॥
kuśo'si kuśaputro'si brahmaṇā nirmitaḥ purā | tvayi snāte tu sa snāto yasyedaṃ graṃthibandhanam || 44 ||
O Kuśa, you are Kuśa; you are the son of Kuśa, fashioned long ago by Brahmā. When you are bathed and purified, that person too—on whose behalf this knotted binding (the sacred cord, the ritual tie) is made—is deemed to have bathed.
Narada (traditional ritual instruction voice within Uttara-Bhaga)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
The verse sacralizes kuśa grass as a Brahmā-created, ritually pure medium: purifying kuśa is treated as purifying the practitioner connected to it through a ritual knot or binding, emphasizing substitute/representational purity in Vedic rites.
While primarily ritual-focused, it supports Bhakti by framing external acts (purifying sacred materials like kuśa) as offerings done with faith and intention, aligning bodily purity and devotional resolve (saṅkalpa) before worship at tīrthas.
It reflects Kalpa (ritual procedure) and prayoga-knowledge: using kuśa and ritual knot-tying (granthi-bandhana) as a sanctioned method to transmit/represent purification within ceremonies such as snāna, saṅkalpa, and related rites.