Shloka 98
Pūjādi-kathana — Gaṅgā Vratas, Tenfold Worship, Stotra, and Mokṣa on the Riverbank
अनशनं गृहीत्वा यो गंगातीरे मृतो नरः । सत्यमेव परं लोकमाप्नोति पितृभिः सह ॥ ९८ ॥
anaśanaṃ gṛhītvā yo gaṃgātīre mṛto naraḥ | satyameva paraṃ lokamāpnoti pitṛbhiḥ saha || 98 ||
Cualquier hombre que emprenda el ayuno hasta la muerte y muera en la ribera del Gaṅgā alcanza, en verdad, el supremo mundo de Satya, junto con sus antepasados.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)
Vrata: none
Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"shanta","secondary_rasa":"karuna","emotional_journey":"A stark, compassionate acknowledgment of mortality through fasting unto death resolves into consoling assurance: reunion and uplift with the pitṛs in Satyaloka."}
FAQs
It proclaims the Gaṅgā’s extraordinary salvific power: dying at her bank while observing an austere vow (anaśana) leads to attainment of Satyaloka, and the merit extends to one’s forefathers.
Though framed as a tirtha-mahātmya, the act implies surrender and sacred resolve—placing one’s end of life at a holy river revered in Vaiṣṇava-Purāṇic tradition, where faith and vow become vehicles of spiritual ascent.
Ritual discipline (kalpa-oriented practice) is implied: undertaking a vrata (anaśana) at a tirtha with the intention of merit for oneself and the Pitṛs, aligning pilgrimage and vow with dharmic procedure.