Shloka 7
Kāśī-māhātmya: Avimukta Gaṅgā and the Pañcanada Tīrtha
स्नानमात्रेण सर्वेभ्यः पातकेभ्यः प्रमुच्यते । काश्यामुत्तरवाहिन्यां गंगायां कार्तिके तथा ॥ ७ ॥
snānamātreṇa sarvebhyaḥ pātakebhyaḥ pramucyate | kāśyāmuttaravāhinyāṃ gaṃgāyāṃ kārtike tathā || 7 ||
स्नानमात्रेण सर्वेभ्यः पातकेभ्यः प्रमुच्यते। काश्यामुत्तरवाहिन्यां गङ्गायां कार्तिकेऽपि च॥
Sūta (narrating the Narada–Sanatkumāra dialogue)
Vrata: Kārtika-snānānuṣṭhāna (month-long Kārtika bathing; implicit as a seasonal observance)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It declares the exceptional purificatory power of tīrtha-snāna—especially Gaṅgā bathing at Kāśī and during Kārtika—as a direct means for the removal of pāpa (sin/impurity).
By highlighting Kāśī and Gaṅgā in Kārtika—times and places traditionally associated with heightened worship—it supports bhakti through embodied practice: approaching a sacred tīrtha with faith and performing snāna as an act of reverence.
Kalpa (ritual procedure) and Jyotiṣa (sacred calendrics) are implied: the act is snāna, and the timing is specified as the lunar month Kārtika, indicating vrata/observance aligned with traditional time-reckoning.