Shloka 40
The Description of the Greatness of the Gaṅgā
प्रभासे गोसहस्त्रेण राहुग्रस्ते दिवाकरे । यत्फलं लभते मर्त्यो गंगायां तद्दिनेन वै ॥ ४१ ॥
prabhāse gosahastreṇa rāhugraste divākare | yatphalaṃ labhate martyo gaṃgāyāṃ taddinena vai || 41 ||
プラバーサにおいて、ラーフが太陽を呑み日食となる時に千頭の牛を施すなら、そこで凡夫が得る功徳は、そのままガンガーにて一日で得られる。
Narada (teaching in the Uttara-Bhaga tirtha-mahatmya dialogue, traditionally framed for the Sanatkumara brothers)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It elevates Gaṅgā-tīrtha as supremely merit-giving, stating that the fruit of an extraordinary eclipse-time charity at Prabhāsa is matched simply by spending one day at the Gaṅgā (with tirtha-sevā such as snāna, japa, and worship).
By ranking sacred presence at Gaṅgā above costly ritual charity, it implies that grace-filled tīrtha-sevā and remembrance of the Divine associated with Gaṅgā can yield swift spiritual fruit—supporting a bhakti-oriented view where sincere practice matters more than material magnitude.
It uses a Jyotiṣa (Vedic astrology) marker—Rāhu’s seizure of the sun (solar eclipse)—as a dharma-timing indicator for dāna and ritual merit, showing how auspicious/critical times intensify the results of religious acts.