Shloka 21
The Greatness of Bathing in the Ganges
Gaṅgā-snānā-mahātmya
चांद्रायणसहस्रस्य स फलं लभते ध्रुवम् । गङ्गा गङ्गा जपन्नाम योजनानां शते स्थितः ॥ २१ ॥
cāṃdrāyaṇasahasrasya sa phalaṃ labhate dhruvam | gaṅgā gaṅgā japannāma yojanānāṃ śate sthitaḥ || 21 ||
നൂറ് യോജന ദൂരെയിരുന്നാലും “ഗംഗാ, ഗംഗാ” എന്നു നാമജപം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ, തീർച്ചയായും സഹസ്ര ചാന്ദ്രായണ വ്രതത്തിന്റെ ഫലം പ്രാപിക്കും.
Narada (teaching within the Ganga-mahatmya context)
Vrata: Cāndrāyaṇa
Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"bhakti","secondary_rasa":"adbhuta","emotional_journey":"From repetitive nāma-japa to a striking equivalence claim—merit equal to a thousand severe vows—ending in firm certainty (dhruvam)."}
FAQs
It teaches that sincere remembrance and repetition of the sacred name “Gaṅgā” can confer immense purificatory merit—equal to severe expiatory vows—showing the extraordinary power of nāma (holy name) within tīrtha-mahātmyas.
By elevating simple nāma-japa (“Gaṅgā, Gaṅgā”) over arduous austerities, the verse emphasizes devotion expressed through constant remembrance and verbal repetition, a hallmark bhakti practice accessible even without physical proximity to the tīrtha.
It references the Cāndrāyaṇa vrata, a lunar-regulated penance tied to calendrical observance (Jyotiṣa/Vedic astronomy-astrology), indicating that ritual merit measured by time-and-moon disciplines can be matched by focused sacred-name practice.