Shloka 9
Viṣṇupadī Gaṅgā: Descent, Cosmic Pathways, and Śiva’s Praise of Saṅkarṣaṇa
तथैवालकनन्दा दक्षिणेन ब्रह्मसदनाद्बहूनि गिरिकूटान्यतिक्रम्य हेमकूटाद्धैमकूटान्यतिरभसतररंहसा लुठयन्ती भारतमभिवर्षं दक्षिणस्यां दिशि जलधिमभिप्रविशति यस्यां स्नानार्थं चागच्छत: पुंस: पदे पदेऽश्वमेधराजसूयादीनां फलं न दुर्लभमिति ॥ ९ ॥
tathaivālakanandā dakṣiṇena brahma-sadanād bahūni giri-kūṭāny atikramya hemakūṭād dhaimakūṭāny ati-rabhasatara-raṁhasā luṭhayantī bhāratam abhivarṣaṁ dakṣiṇasyāṁ diśi jaladhim abhipraviśati yasyāṁ snānārthaṁ cāgacchataḥ puṁsaḥ pade pade ’śvamedha-rājasūyādīnāṁ phalaṁ na durlabham iti.
Begitu juga, cabang Gangga bernama Alakanandā mengalir dari sisi selatan Brahma-sadana; melintasi banyak puncak gunung, ia jatuh dengan deras ke puncak Hemakūṭa dan Himakūṭa. Setelah membanjiri Bhārata-varṣa, ia memasuki lautan air masin di selatan. Mereka yang datang untuk mandi di sungai suci ini berbahagia; pada setiap langkah mereka mudah memperoleh pahala yajña agung seperti Rājasūya dan Aśvamedha.
The place where the Ganges flows into the salt water of the Bay of Bengal is still known as Gaṅgā-sāgara, or the meeting place of the Ganges and the Bay of Bengal. On Makara-saṅkrānti, in the month of January—February, thousands of people still go there to bathe, hoping to be liberated. That they can actually be liberated in this way is confirmed herein. For those who bathe in the Ganges at any time, the results of great sacrifices like the Aśvamedha and Rājasūya yajña are not at all difficult to achieve. Most people in India are still inclined to bathe in the Ganges, and there are many places where they can do so. At Prayāga (Allahabad), many thousands of people gather during the month of January to bathe in the confluence of the Ganges and Yamunā. Afterward, many of them go to the confluence of the Bay of Bengal and the Ganges to take bath there. Thus it is a special facility for all the people of India that they can bathe in the water of the Ganges at so many places of pilgrimage.
FAQs
This verse states that one who comes to bathe in the Alakanandā gains, at every step, results comparable to great Vedic sacrifices like Aśvamedha and Rājasūya—meaning extraordinary spiritual merit is easily attained through tīrtha-snāna there.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī is speaking to King Parīkṣit while describing the sacred geography of Jambūdvīpa and the holy rivers that flow through Bhārata-varṣa.
By honoring tīrthas and sacred waters with devotion—through pilgrimage when possible, or through reverent remembrance, prayer, and purity of conduct—one can cultivate faith that sincere spiritual practice can yield results beyond mere ritual performance.