Shloka 11
Prayaga-mahatmya
Glory of Prayaga and the Magha Bath at Triveni
गणाश्चाप्सरसां सर्वे पितॄणां च गणास्तथा । स्नातुमायांति ते सर्वे माघे वेण्यां विरंचिजे ॥ ११ ॥
gaṇāścāpsarasāṃ sarve pitṝṇāṃ ca gaṇāstathā | snātumāyāṃti te sarve māghe veṇyāṃ viraṃcije || 11 ||
Toutes les cohortes des Apsaras, et de même les cohortes des Pitṛ (ancêtres), viennent là au mois de Māgha pour se baigner à Veṇyā, le tīrtha sacré lié à Virāñci (Brahmā).
Narada (in dialogue context with Sanatkumara tradition; Uttara-Bhaga tirtha narration)
Vrata: Māgha-snāna (month-long/seasonal observance; implied)
Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"bhakti","secondary_rasa":"adbhuta","emotional_journey":"A devotional pull toward sacred bathing, heightened by the wonder of even apsaras and pitṛ-hosts arriving, focusing the mind on tīrtha-mahātmyā."}
FAQs
The verse elevates Māgha-snāna at Veṇyā (Virāñci-associated tīrtha) as a supremely sanctifying act—so sacred that even celestial Apsarases and the Pitṛ hosts are said to gather there for purification and merit.
By praising a holy tīrtha and a sacred time (Māgha), the verse supports bhakti through disciplined sacred practice—approaching a consecrated place with reverence, performing snāna as an offering-minded act aligned to dharma and remembrance of the divine order.
It reflects Vedāṅga-based ritual timing (Kalpa and Jyotiṣa): the efficacy is tied to the lunar month Māgha, showing how sacred observances depend on correct calendrical/astronomical reckoning and prescribed rites like snāna and Pitṛ-related observances.