Shloka 72

Karma, Non-Violence, Tīrtha & Gaṅgā Merit, Vaiṣṇava Protection, Śālagrāma Worship, and Ekādaśī as Deliverance

Devanagari script

सकृद्गंगांभसि स्नातः पूतो गांगेयवारिणा । न नरो नरकं याति अपि पातकराशिकृत्

Transliteration

sakṛdgaṃgāṃbhasi snātaḥ pūto gāṃgeyavāriṇā | na naro narakaṃ yāti api pātakarāśikṛt

Translation

મનુષ્ય એક વાર પણ ગંગાજળમાં સ્નાન કરે તો ગંગાધારાથી પવિત્ર બને છે. પાપનો ઢગલો કરેલો હોય તોય તે નરકમાં જતો નથી.

Word by Word

• sakṛt: once
• sakṛt: Kāla (कालः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sakṛt (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/आवृत्तिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: once)

• gaṅgā-ambhasi: in the waters of the Ganges
• gaṅgā-ambhasi: Adhikarana (अधिकरणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā + ambhas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (gaṅgāyāḥ ambhasi— in the water of the Ganges)

• snātaḥ: having bathed
• snātaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: snāta (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from √snā)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle): 'having bathed'

• pūtaḥ: purified
• pūtaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūta (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from √pū)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त: 'purified'

• gāṅgeya-vāriṇā: by Ganges-water
• gāṅgeya-vāriṇā: Karana (करणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāṅgeya + vārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (gāṅgeyaṃ vāri—Ganges-water)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• narakam: hell
• narakam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• yāti: goes
• yāti: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/अपि-कारक-अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• pātaka-rāśi-kṛt: even one who has amassed sins
• pātaka-rāśi-kṛt: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātaka + rāśi + kṛt (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'pātakānāṃ rāśiṃ karoti'—one who has amassed a heap of sins

Speaker

Unknown (narrative voice not specified in the provided excerpt; commonly within Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue in Svarga-khaṇḍa contexts)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: river

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: sakṛd gaṅgāmbhasi ← sakṛt + gaṅgāmbhasi; gaṅgāmbhasi ← gaṅgā + ambhasi (ā+a→ā); gāṅgeyavāriṇā ← gāṅgeya + vāriṇā; pātakarāśikṛt is a compound: pātaka-rāśi-kṛt.

Characters & Entities

• Ganga

FAQs

What does this verse teach about Gaṅgā as a tīrtha?

It presents Gaṅgā as a uniquely purifying sacred ford (tīrtha) whose waters are said to cleanse even heavy sin and alter one’s post-mortem fate.

Does the verse suggest that one bath guarantees liberation regardless of conduct?

The verse emphasizes the extraordinary sanctity of Gaṅgā-snānā as expiation (prāyaścitta), but traditional Purāṇic ethics generally pair tīrtha-merit with repentance, restraint, and righteous living rather than using it as a license for wrongdoing.

What is the ethical lesson implied here?

Seek purification and moral reform: even those burdened by past wrongdoing should turn toward sacred, purifying practices and a renewed commitment to dharma.