Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 27
The Glory of Kailāsa, the Gaṅgā Lake, and Ratneśvara
Entry into the Kuñjala–Kapiñjala Narrative
हिमक्षीरसुवर्णस्तु प्रवाहः पतते भुवि । गंगायाश्च महाभाग रंहसा घोषभूषितः
himakṣīrasuvarṇastu pravāhaḥ patate bhuvi | gaṃgāyāśca mahābhāga raṃhasā ghoṣabhūṣitaḥ
हिमक्षीरसुवर्णाभः प्रवाहः पतते भुवि । गङ्गायाश्च महाभाग रंहसा घोषभूषिता ॥
Unspecified (contextual narrator addressing a listener as “mahābhāga”)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: river
Sandhi Resolution Notes: हिमक्षीरसुवर्णस्तु = हिमक्षीरसुवर्णः तु; गंगायाश्च = गङ्गायाः च।
FAQs
It portrays the Gaṅgā as a divine descent to earth, emphasizing her physical grandeur (swift current, thunderous sound) and her sacred, otherworldly qualities (whiteness like snow/milk and a golden radiance), typical of Purāṇic tīrtha-geography.
By depicting Gaṅgā in exalted, devotional imagery—radiant, powerful, and auspicious—it encourages reverence toward sacred embodiments of the divine, a common bhakti approach to rivers as living tīrthas.
The verse implicitly teaches humility and purity: approaching sacred places like the Gaṅgā with reverence and a purified intent, recognizing that spiritual uplift is linked with honoring what is holy and life-sustaining.