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Shloka 15

The Account of the Fruits of Bathing at Particular Sacred Places

Tīrtha-viśeṣa-snāna-phala

जन्मर्क्षे तु कृते स्नाने गंगायां भक्तिभावतः । जन्मप्रभृति पापं वै संचितं हि विनश्यति ॥ १५ ॥

janmarkṣe tu kṛte snāne gaṃgāyāṃ bhaktibhāvataḥ | janmaprabhṛti pāpaṃ vai saṃcitaṃ hi vinaśyati || 15 ||

Pero si uno se baña en el Gaṅgā en el día de su estrella natal, con disposición devocional (bhakti), entonces los pecados acumulados desde el nacimiento, en verdad, se destruyen.

जन्मर्क्षेon one’s birth-star (natal asterism)
जन्मर्क्षे:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootजन्म-ऋक्ष (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण/7th case), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (जन्मनः ऋक्षम् = जन्मनक्षत्रे)
तुindeed
तु:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु (अव्यय)
Formविरोध/विशेषार्थक-अव्यय (particle ‘but/indeed’)
कृतेwhen performed/done
कृते:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
TypeVerb
Rootकृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
Formभूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘when done’ (locative absolute sense with स्नाने)
स्नानेin the act of bathing
स्नाने:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootस्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण/7th case), एकवचन; ‘in/at bathing’
गङ्गायाम्in the Ganga
गङ्गायाम्:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootगङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण/7th case), एकवचन
भक्तिभावतःout of devotion/with devotional feeling
भक्तिभावतः:
Hetu (हेतु)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootभक्ति-भाव (प्रातिपदिक; समास) + तस् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
Formतत्पुरुष-समासः (भक्तेः भावः) + तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय; हेतुवाचक (ablatival adverb: ‘due to/from’)
जन्मप्रभृतिfrom birth onward
जन्मप्रभृति:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण/temporal)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootजन्म-प्रभृति (अव्ययीभाव-समास)
Formअव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्यय (meaning ‘from birth onwards’)
पापम्sin
पापम्:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootपाप (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता/1st case), एकवचन
वैindeed
वै:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootवै (अव्यय)
Formनिश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)
सञ्चितम्accumulated
सञ्चितम्:
Visheshana (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootसम्-चि (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
Formभूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (accumulated)
हिcertainly/for
हि:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootहि (अव्यय)
Formहेतौ/निश्चये-अव्यय (particle ‘for/indeed’)
विनश्यतिis destroyed/perishes
विनश्यति:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootवि-नश् (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Sanatkumara (in dialogue with Narada, narrating the Ganga-tirtha merit)

Vrata: Janma-nakshatra snana (birth-star bath)

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

G
Ganga

FAQs

It teaches that tīrtha-snāna becomes profoundly transformative when performed in the Gaṅgā with bhakti, granting purification strong enough to erase long-accumulated karmic impurity.

The verse makes inner intention central—bhaktibhāva is the activating force—so the act is not merely ritual bathing but devotional surrender expressed through tīrtha-sevā.

It reflects Jyotiṣa (Vedic astrology) usage by prescribing the janma-nakṣatra (birth-star) as an auspicious timing for a purificatory rite (snāna) at a major tīrtha.