Shloka 53
Prayaga-mahatmya
Glory of Prayaga and the Magha Bath at Triveni
प्रयागस्य तु तीर्थस्य कलां नार्हंति षोडशीम् । तिस्रः कोट्योऽर्द्धकोटी च तीर्थानां वायुरब्रवीत् ॥ ५३ ॥
prayāgasya tu tīrthasya kalāṃ nārhaṃti ṣoḍaśīm | tisraḥ koṭyo'rddhakoṭī ca tīrthānāṃ vāyurabravīt || 53 ||
ಪ್ರಯಾಗ ತೀರ್ಥದ ಮಹಿಮೆಗೆ ಹದಿನಾರನೇ ಭಾಗವೂ ಸಮನಾಗದು. ವಾಯು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ತೀರ್ಥಗಳು ಮೂರು ಕೋಟಿ ಮತ್ತು ಅರ್ಧಕೋಟಿ ಇವೆ ಎಂದು.
Vayu
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It proclaims Prayāga’s unsurpassed sanctity: other tīrthas collectively cannot equal even a small fraction of Prayāga’s spiritual merit, establishing it as preeminent in tīrtha-dharma.
By exalting Prayāga as uniquely powerful, the verse supports bhakti expressed through pilgrimage, remembrance, and acts of worship at a supremely sacred site—external devotion that nurtures inner surrender.
Primarily kalā/saṅkhyā usage (fractional measure and large-number counting like koṭi), applied to tīrtha-mahātmya; it’s a practical takeaway for interpreting Purāṇic numerical statements in ritual-geography contexts.