Shloka 25

The Greatness of Bathing in the Ganges

Gaṅgā-snānā-mahātmya

Devanagari script

करोति पुण्यवाहिन्याः सोऽपि स्वर्गस्य भाजनम् । सर्वावस्थां गतो वापि सर्वधर्मविवर्जितः ॥ २५ ॥

Transliteration

karoti puṇyavāhinyāḥ so'pi svargasya bhājanam | sarvāvasthāṃ gato vāpi sarvadharmavivarjitaḥ || 25 ||

Translation

Bahkan orang yang melakukan pelayanan atau tata laku suci terkait sungai pembawa pahala (Gaṅgā) menjadi layak bagi surga, meski ia jatuh dalam keadaan apa pun dan meninggalkan semua dharma.

Word by Word

• karoti: makes / becomes
• karoti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• puṇya-vāhinyāḥ: of the merit-bearing (river, i.e., Ganga)
• puṇya-vāhinyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + vāhinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (puṇyaṃ vahati iti vāhinī = 'carrier of merit')

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• api: also / even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: particle (also/even)

• svargasya: of heaven
• svargasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• bhājanam: a recipient / a fit vessel
• bhājanam: Karma (कर्म) / Phala (फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhājana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• sarva-avasthām: every condition/state
• sarva-avasthām: Karma (कर्म) (of 'gataḥ' in sense 'having reached every condition')
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + avasthā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (sarvā avasthā = sarvāvasthā)

• gataḥ: gone / having reached
• gataḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु) → gata (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (past participle, क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'saḥ' इत्यस्य विशेषण

• vā: or / even if
• vā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (particle: 'or/even if')

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: particle (even/also)

• sarva-dharma-vivarjitaḥ: devoid of all righteousness
• sarva-dharma-vivarjitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + vivarjita (कृदन्त, क्त; varj धातु with vi-)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (sarvebhyaḥ dharmebhyaḥ vivarjitaḥ = 'devoid of all dharma')

Speaker

Suta (narrating Narada Purana discourse; Uttara-Bhaga Tirtha-Mahatmya passage)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Puṇyavāhinī (holy river, traditionally identified with Gaṅgā in Tirtha-Māhātmya contexts)
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It emphasizes the extraordinary purificatory power of a sacred tirtha/holy river: even a person who has lapsed from righteous conduct can gain heavenly merit through sincere performance of the prescribed river-related act (such as bathing, worship, or service).

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

By highlighting that grace and spiritual uplift are accessible through humble, faith-filled action connected to a sacred locus (tirtha); devotion expressed as service/worship at the holy river can override one’s fallen condition and generate transformative merit.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Primarily Kalpa (ritual procedure): it implies that specific tirtha-related rites—such as snāna (sacred bath), tarpaṇa, and pūjā—carry defined results (phala), a hallmark of dharma-śāstric ritual reasoning.