Shloka 17
The Greatness of the Month of Māgha
Māgha-snāna, Harivāsara, and the Kāṣṭhīlā-Upākhyāna
अग्निप्रवेशादधिकं माघोषस्येव मज्जनम् । जीवता भुज्यते दुःखं मृतेन बहुलं सुखम् ॥ १७ ॥
agnipraveśādadhikaṃ māghoṣasyeva majjanam | jīvatā bhujyate duḥkhaṃ mṛtena bahulaṃ sukham || 17 ||
માઘોષ માટે પવિત્ર જળમાં મઘ-સ્નાન અગ્નિપ્રવેશ કરતાં પણ વધુ શ્રેષ્ઠ માનવામાં આવ્યું. જીવતા દુઃખ ભોગવાય છે, અને મૃત્યુ પછી બહુ સુખ પ્રાપ્ત થાય છે.
Narada (teaching in a Tirtha-Mahatmya narrative)
Vrata: Māgha-snāna (implied)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It elevates tīrtha-snāna (sacred immersion) as a powerful purifier whose merit can surpass extreme acts like self-immolation, emphasizing the transformation of karma and the promise of posthumous well-being through dharmic practice.
Though it speaks in the idiom of tirtha-mahātmya, the underlying bhakti principle is faith-filled surrender to sacred means connected with dharma—approaching holy places and rites with reverence, which is treated as spiritually efficacious and grace-bearing.
It implicitly points to Kalpa (ritual procedure) through the act of majjana/tīrtha-snāna as a regulated religious observance; it is not primarily a verse on Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa, but on ritual merit (puṇya) and karma-phala.