Shloka 2
The Greatness of the Gaṇḍakī River and the Śālagrāma Stone
शुश्रावासौ महाराजो मार्गे गोविंदकीर्तनम् । जय माधव भक्तानां शरण्य पुरुषोत्तम
śuśrāvāsau mahārājo mārge goviṃdakīrtanam | jaya mādhava bhaktānāṃ śaraṇya puruṣottama
En chemin, ce grand roi entendit le chant des noms de Govinda : «Victoire à Mādhava, refuge des dévots, ô Puruṣottama !»
Narrator (within the Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue frame typical of the Pātāla-khaṇḍa)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शुश्रावासौ = शुश्राव + असौ; महाराजो = महाराजः (visarga sandhi before m); गोविंदकीर्तनम् = गोविन्द + कीर्तनम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)
FAQs
It highlights nāma-kīrtana—public or audible chanting of Govinda’s names—as a powerful expression of bhakti.
They are honorific names for Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa: “Mādhava” (the Lord associated with Lakṣmī/also a name of Kṛṣṇa) and “Puruṣottama” (the Supreme Person).
It suggests that remembrance and praise of God can arise even in ordinary travel, and that taking the Lord as “refuge of devotees” is central to the bhakti path.