Shloka 23
The Greatness of Bathing in the Ganges
Gaṅgā-snānā-mahātmya
अवगाह्य तथा पीत्वा पुनात्यासप्तमं कुलम् । सप्तावपरान्परान्सप्त सप्ताथ परतः परान् ॥ २३ ॥
avagāhya tathā pītvā punātyāsaptamaṃ kulam | saptāvaparānparānsapta saptātha parataḥ parān || 23 ||
അവിടെ മുങ്ങിക്കുളിച്ച് അതേ പുണ്യജലം പാനം ചെയ്താൽ, മനുഷ്യൻ തന്റെ കുലത്തെ ഏഴാം തലമുറ വരെ ശുദ്ധീകരിക്കുന്നു—ഏഴ് തലമുറ സന്തതികൾ, ഏഴ് തലമുറ പിതൃപുരുഷർ, പിന്നെയും അവർക്കപ്പുറം ഏഴ് തലമുറ.
Suta (narrating the Narada Purana discourse)
Vrata: none
Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"shanta","secondary_rasa":"bhakti","emotional_journey":"Quiet confidence in the purifying power of sacred waters expands outward from the individual to the entire lineage."}
FAQs
It states the extraordinary purificatory merit (puṇya) of tirtha-bathing and drinking sacred water: the benefit is not limited to the individual but extends to one’s entire lineage across multiple generations.
In the tirtha context, devotional acts—reverent bathing, sipping sacred water, and remembering the divine—are shown as simple, faith-filled practices that generate merit and support purification, which in turn strengthens one’s eligibility for bhakti and dharmic living.
Ritual practice is implied: proper snāna (sacred bath) and ācamana/pāna (ritual sipping/drinking) at a tirtha are karmakāṇḍa-aligned observances, reflecting applied discipline of dharma rather than technical Vedanga instruction.