Shloka 27
The Greatness of Bathing in the Ganges
Gaṅgā-snānā-mahātmya
गंगातोयं नरः स्पृष्ट्वा मुच्यते सर्वपातकैः । कदा द्रक्ष्यामि तां गंगां कदा स्नानं लभे ह्यहम् ॥ २७ ॥
gaṃgātoyaṃ naraḥ spṛṣṭvā mucyate sarvapātakaiḥ | kadā drakṣyāmi tāṃ gaṃgāṃ kadā snānaṃ labhe hyaham || 27 ||
Con sólo tocar el agua del Gaṅgā, el hombre queda libre de todos los pecados. ¿Cuándo contemplaré a ese Gaṅgā, y cuándo, en verdad, obtendré la bendición de bañarme en ella?
Narada (expressing longing within the Ganga-tirtha context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It teaches the tirtha-prabhava (power of a sacred ford): even contact with Gaṅgā-water is portrayed as purifying, and it elevates the longing to see and bathe in the Gaṅgā as a spiritually transformative aspiration.
Bhakti appears as yearning (viraha-like longing) for a holy presence—here, Gaṅgā as a sacred embodiment—showing that sincere desire to approach the divine/sacred is itself a devotional movement toward purification.
Ritual practice is implied: snāna (sacred bathing) and sparśa (touch-contact) as purificatory acts within tirtha-vidhi; it aligns with dharma-śāstra style guidance on when and how pilgrimage and bathing generate puṇya.