Adhyaya 7

The chapter begins with hymnic praise declaring that Gaṅgā’s name, her very sight, bathing in her waters, and even a single droplet or the sand of her bank destroy sin and bestow liberation, extolled as surpassing austerities and sacrifices. A Tretā-yuga legend follows: the righteous brāhmaṇa Dharmasva meets the goddess Gaṅgā and seeks mokṣa. A grievous sinner, Kālakalpa, dies violently after cruelty to a bull; moved by compassion, Dharmasva sprinkles him with Gaṅgā-water. Yamadūtas come to seize the sinner, but Viṣṇudūtas intervene, declaring that Gaṅgā’s droplets erase sin and make one fit for Hari’s abode. A battle breaks out; the Yamadūtas flee, and Kālakalpa is taken to Vaikuṇṭha and ultimately attains supreme liberation. Dharmasva praises Gaṅgā and receives the boon of dying in her waters while remembering her sacred name.