Shloka 7
Tīrtha-Māhātmya: Dharmatīrtha, Plakṣādevī Sarasvatī, Śākambharī, and Suvarṇa
Kṛṣṇa–Rudra Episode
ततो हि सा सरिच्छ्रेष्ठा नदीनामुत्तमा नदी । प्लक्षादेवी स्मृता राजन्महा पुण्या सरस्वती
tato hi sā saricchreṣṭhā nadīnāmuttamā nadī | plakṣādevī smṛtā rājanmahā puṇyā sarasvatī
അതുകൊണ്ട്, ഹേ രാജാവേ, അവൾ നദികളിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ—സരിതുകളിൽ ഉത്തമ നദിയാണ്. അവൾ പ്ലക്ഷാദേവി എന്നു സ്മരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു; മഹാപുണ്യമയിയായ സരസ്വതി.
Unspecified narrator addressing a king (rājan) (context likely within a dialogue tradition of the Padma Purāṇa, but not determinable from this single verse alone).
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: river
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सरिच्छ्रेष्ठा → सरित् + श्रेष्ठा; नदीनामुत्तमा → नदीनाम् + उत्तमा; राजन्महा → राजन् + महा
FAQs
It elevates Sarasvatī as the foremost sacred river and preserves an alternate epithet (Plakṣādevī), reflecting the Purāṇic habit of mapping holiness onto named rivers and their regional titles.
By praising Sarasvatī as “greatly holy,” it supports devotional practice centered on tīrthas—reverence, pilgrimage, and ritual purity—common devotional expressions within Purāṇic religion.
It implies a value of honoring and protecting what is sacred in the world—especially life-giving rivers—through reverence, restraint, and meritorious conduct associated with holy places.