Shloka 2
The Greatness of Haridvāra
Gaṅgādvāra-māhātmya
गंगाद्वारेति यत्ख्यातं तीर्थं पुण्यावहं गुरो । तत्समाख्याहि भद्रं ते श्रोतुं वांछास्ति मे हृदि ॥ २ ॥
gaṃgādvāreti yatkhyātaṃ tīrthaṃ puṇyāvahaṃ guro | tatsamākhyāhi bhadraṃ te śrotuṃ vāṃchāsti me hṛdi || 2 ||
ഹേ ഗുരോ! ‘ഗംഗാദ്വാരം’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധമായ പുണ്യാവഹമായ തീർത്ഥത്തെ വിശദീകരിക്കണമേ. നിങ്ങള്ക്ക് മംഗളം—അത് കേൾക്കാനുള്ള ആഗ്രഹം എന്റെ ഹൃദയത്തിൽ ശക്തമാണ്।
Narada (questioning the Guru, traditionally Sanatkumara in this dialogue-frame)
Vrata: none
Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"bhakti","secondary_rasa":"adbhuta","emotional_journey":"Reverent longing to hear about a famed tīrtha, expressed as a heartfelt request to the guru."}
FAQs
It frames Gaṅgādvāra as a highly meritorious tīrtha and establishes the traditional purāṇic method: a disciple’s sincere inquiry prompting a detailed māhātmya (glorification) that guides pilgrimage and dharma.
Bhakti here appears as śravaṇa (devotional listening): the speaker’s heartfelt longing to hear the tīrtha’s greatness is itself a devotional act that prepares the mind for reverence, pilgrimage, and worship connected with the Ganga.
No specific Vedāṅga is taught in this verse; it instead introduces tīrtha-dharma—practical guidance for sacred geography and merit-making that later verses typically connect to rules of bathing, vows (vrata), and proper ritual conduct.