Shloka 17

Pilgrimage Sequence on Sacred Fords (Narmadā Region): Bhṛgu-tīrtha, Śiva-vratas, and Merit Amplification

Devanagari script

अकामो वा सकामो वा तत्र स्नात्वा तु मानवः । आजन्मजनितैः पापैर्मुच्यते नात्र संशयः

Transliteration

akāmo vā sakāmo vā tatra snātvā tu mānavaḥ | ājanmajanitaiḥ pāpairmucyate nātra saṃśayaḥ

Translation

Baik tanpa keinginan maupun penuh keinginan, siapa pun yang mandi di sana terbebas dari dosa yang terkumpul sejak lahir—tiada keraguan akan hal ini.

Word by Word

• अकामः: desireless
• अकामः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा/1st), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with मानवः

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध) (connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), disjunctive particle (विकल्पार्थक): "or"

• सकामः: desirous; with wishes
• सकामः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sakāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा/1st), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with मानवः

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध) (connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), disjunctive particle (विकल्पार्थक): "or"

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण) (place adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (देशवाचक): "there"

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriyā (क्रिया) (prior action qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (स्ना धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय): "having bathed"

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध) (discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), particle (निपात): emphasis

• मानवः: a human being
• मानवः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा/1st), Singular (एकवचन)

• आजन्मजनितैः: born from (one's) birth; accumulated since birth
• आजन्मजनितैः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of Karaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-janma + janita (जनित कृदन्त from jan जन् धातु)
• Form: Neuter/Masculine (नपुं/पुं), Tṛtīyā (तृतीया/3rd), Plural (बहुवचन); tatpuruṣa: ā-janmanaḥ janitāni (अव्ययीभाव/तत्पुरुष sense: "from birth") used adjectivally with pāpaiḥ

• पापैः: from sins
• पापैः: Karaṇa (करण) (instrumental in passive: "by/from sins")
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Tṛtīyā (तृतीया/3rd), Plural (बहुवचन)

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muc (मुच् धातु)
• Form: Verb; Laṭ (लट्, present), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष), Eka-vacana (एकवचन); passive sense: "is released"

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध) (negator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), negation particle (निषेध)

• अत्र: here; in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण) (contextual locus)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (देशवाचक): "here/in this matter"

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (कर्ता) (of implied 'is')
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा/1st), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative voice within the Adhyaya)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: tirtha

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: pāpairmucyate = pāpaiḥ mucyate; nātra = na atra

FAQs

What is the main teaching of this verse?

It teaches that bathing at the specified sacred place (tīrtha) purifies a person, removing sins accumulated over one’s life, regardless of whether one approaches with desires or without them.

Does the verse privilege desirelessness over desire-based practice?

It mentions both—desireless (akāma) and desire-motivated (sakāma)—and affirms purification for either, emphasizing the tīrtha’s sanctifying power rather than the bather’s motive.

What ethical or spiritual lesson does this suggest for devotees?

It encourages sincere engagement with purifying spiritual practices (like tīrtha-snān) and highlights hope for moral renewal: past wrongdoing is not final, and transformation is possible through sacred discipline.