The Description of the Greatness of the Gaṅgā
चांद्रायणसहस्रं तु यश्चरेत्कायशोधनम् । यः पिबेत्तु यथेष्ठं हि गंगाम्भः स विशिष्यते ॥ ६१ ॥
cāṃdrāyaṇasahasraṃ tu yaścaretkāyaśodhanam | yaḥ pibettu yatheṣṭhaṃ hi gaṃgāmbhaḥ sa viśiṣyate || 61 ||
Aunque alguien cumpla mil observancias de Cāndrāyaṇa para purificar el cuerpo—más excelso aún es quien bebe, cuanto desea, las aguas del Gaṅgā; tal persona es tenida por excepcional.
Suta (narrating the Narada Purana dialogue/tradition)
Vrata: Cāndrāyaṇa
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
It elevates Gaṅgā-tīrtha as an exceptionally potent purifier: the merit of drinking Gaṅgā water is praised as surpassing even extensive, difficult penances like repeated Cāndrāyaṇa observances.
By honoring Gaṅgā as a sacred medium of grace, it implies that accessible acts performed with श्रद्धा (faith)—such as reverently taking Gaṅgā water—can be spiritually transformative, complementing rigorous austerities.
Ritual discipline connected to lunar calculation is implied through the Cāndrāyaṇa-vrata (a vow regulated by the moon’s phases), reflecting applied Kalpa (ritual procedure) and Jyotiṣa (lunar timing) in dharmic practice.