Shloka 29
पुण्या पुण्यतमैर्जुष्टा गड़ा भागीरथी शुभा । प्लवन्तीव प्रवेगेन हृदे चन्द्रमस: शुभे,नरेश्वर! उस मेरुपर्वतके शिखरसे दुग्धके समान श्वेतधारवाली, विश्वरूपा, अपरिमित शक्तिशालिनी, भयंकर वज्रपातके समान शब्द करनेवाली, परम पुण्यात्मा पुरुषों-द्वारा सेवित, शुभस्वरूपा पुण्यमयी भागीरथी गंगा बड़े प्रबल वेगसे सुन्दर चन्द्रकुण्डमें गिरती हैं
sañjaya uvāca | puṇyā puṇyatamair juṣṭā gaḍā bhāgīrathī śubhā | plavantīva pravegena hṛde candramasaḥ śubhe, nareśvara | meruparvataśikharebhyaḥ kṣīrasamānaśvetadhārā viśvarūpā aparimitāśaktisampannā bhayaṅkaravajrapātasaṃnibhaśabdā paramapuṇyātmabhiḥ puruṣaiḥ sevitā śubhasvarūpā puṇyamayī bhāgīrathī gaṅgā mahāprabalavegena sundare candrakuṇḍe patati |
Sanjaya said: O king, the auspicious Bhagirathi—holy, and cherished by the most virtuous—rushes onward as if borne upon the flood’s own force. From the summit of Mount Meru she pours down in milk-white streams, vast in form and immeasurable in power, her roar like a dreadful thunderbolt. Served and revered by supremely righteous men, that sacred Ganga, of beneficent nature, plunges with tremendous speed into the beautiful lake called Chandrakunda.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates reverence for sacred realities: what is ‘puṇya’ is not merely admired but ‘sevita’—approached with disciplined respect by the virtuous. It frames holiness as something that purifies and orders life, especially for rulers who must align power with auspicious, dharmic foundations.
Sanjaya describes the Bhagirathi (Ganga) in vivid, cosmic terms: descending from Mount Meru in milk-white torrents, roaring like a thunderbolt, and plunging with great force into the beautiful Chandrakunda (Moon-lake).