Shloka 4
Account of Various Sacred Tīrthas
Pilgrimage Merits and Prayāga Supremacy
गंगायास्त्वथ राजेंद्र सागरस्य च संगमे । अश्वमेधं दशगुणं प्रवदंति मनीषणः
gaṃgāyāstvatha rājeṃdra sāgarasya ca saṃgame | aśvamedhaṃ daśaguṇaṃ pravadaṃti manīṣaṇaḥ
Ó rei, na confluência do Gaṅgā com o oceano, os sábios declaram que o mérito é dez vezes maior, igual ao fruto de um Aśvamedha.
Unspecified (narrator/sage addressing a king, implied by 'rājendra')
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: tirtha
Sandhi Resolution Notes: गंगायास्त्वथ → गङ्गायाः + तु + अथ; प्रवदंति → प्रवदन्ति (अनुस्वार-लिप्यन्तर/वर्तनी-भेद)
FAQs
It presents the confluence (saṅgama) of Gaṅgā and the ocean as an exceptionally powerful tīrtha where spiritual merit is greatly amplified.
The Aśvamedha is a paradigmatic, high-prestige Vedic rite; the comparison elevates tīrtha-pilgrimage (and sacred bathing/observance there) as yielding comparable or greater fruit—here stated as tenfold.
It encourages seeking sanctifying practices accessible to more people—pilgrimage and reverence at sacred places—while honoring the tradition’s valuation of intention, purity, and wise guidance.