Shloka 3

Prayaga-mahatmya

Glory of Prayaga and the Magha Bath at Triveni

Devanagari script

तस्माच्छतगुणा प्रोक्ता काश्यामुत्तरवाहिनी । काश्याः शतगुणा प्रोक्ता गंगा यत्रार्कजान्विता ॥ ३ ॥

Transliteration

tasmācchataguṇā proktā kāśyāmuttaravāhinī | kāśyāḥ śataguṇā proktā gaṃgā yatrārkajānvitā || 3 ||

Translation

तस्मात् काश्यां उत्तरवाहिनी धारा शतगुणफलप्रदा प्रोक्ता। काश्याः शतगुणा गङ्गा यत्रार्कजया सह संगता॥

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apādāna-सूचक (हेतु/अपादान-सूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), तस्मात् = Ablatival adverbial usage ‘therefore/from that’ (तस्मात्-प्रयोगः)

• शत-गुणा: hundredfold
• शत-गुणा: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम्—‘hundredfold’ (शतगुणा)

• प्रोक्ता: is declared/said
• प्रोक्ता: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘is said/declared’

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणम्—‘in Kāśī’

• उत्तर-वाहिनी: the north-flowing (river)
• उत्तर-वाहिनी: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + वाहिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘north-flowing (river)’

• काश्याः: of Kāśī (than Kāśī)
• काश्याः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्धः—‘of Kāśī/than Kāśī’ (genitive of relation/comparison)

• शत-गुणा: hundredfold
• शत-गुणा: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्—‘hundredfold’

• प्रोक्ता: is declared
• प्रोक्ता: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘is said’

• गंगा: Gaṅgā
• गंगा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्ता—‘Gaṅgā’

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa-सूचक (अधिकरण-सूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, सम्बन्ध-क्रियाविशेषण (relative adverb) ‘where’

• अर्कजा-अन्विता: accompanied by Arkajā (Yamunā)
• अर्कजा-अन्विता: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्कजा (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्वित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्—‘accompanied by Arkajā (Yamunā)’

Speaker

Narada (in a tīrtha-māhātmya discourse context)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Kashi (Varanasi)
• Ganga
• Arkajā (Sūryajā river; river born of the Sun)

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It ranks pilgrimage merit: the uttaravāhinī (north-flowing) Gaṅgā at Kāśī is praised as exceptionally potent, and the Gaṅgā at the place where she meets the Sun-born river (Arkajā/Sūryajā) is praised as even more spiritually efficacious—highlighting tīrtha as a concentrated field of puṇya and purification.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

Though it speaks in the language of tīrtha-merit, its devotional thrust is to direct the devotee toward sacred spaces associated with intense remembrance and worship—where snāna, japa, and pūjā to the Divine (especially Hari/Śiva in Kāśī contexts) are traditionally performed with heightened bhakti and faith.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It reflects applied sacred geography and ritual practice: identifying a specific river-current (uttaravāhinī) and a confluence (saṅgama) as ritually significant for snāna and related observances—knowledge used in dharma-śāstra style tīrtha-yātrā planning rather than technical Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa instruction.