Shloka 59
The Description of the Greatness of the Gaṅgā
शास्त्रेणाकृततोयानां मृतानां क्वापि देहिनाम् । तदुत्तरफलावाप्तिर्गंगायामस्थियोगतः ॥ ६० ॥
śāstreṇākṛtatoyānāṃ mṛtānāṃ kvāpi dehinām | taduttaraphalāvāptirgaṃgāyāmasthiyogataḥ || 60 ||
जो देही कुठेही मरण पावतो आणि शास्त्रानुसार जलकर्म होत नाही, त्याला उत्तरफल (परलोकहित) गंगेत अस्थियोग झाल्याने प्राप्त होते।
Suta
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It teaches that Gaṅgā is a uniquely potent tīrtha: even if a person’s prescribed water-rites were not done, contact of the departed’s bones with the Gaṅgā can still secure posthumous spiritual benefit.
In the Uttara-bhāga tīrtha-context, reverence for Gaṅgā functions as a devotional act—trusting in sacred grace (tīrtha-māhātmya) to aid the departed when normal rites could not be completed.
It points to ritual procedure (kalpa/śrauta-smārta practice) around water-offerings and antyeṣṭi-related observances, and gives a remedial rite: asthi-yoga (asthi-visarjana) in the Gaṅgā when those rites were missed.