Shloka 71
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā: Purification, Ancestor Rites, and Liberation
गंगास्नानाय संगच्छन्पथि संम्रियते यदि । स च स्वर्गमवाप्नोति गंगास्नानफलं लभेत्
gaṃgāsnānāya saṃgacchanpathi saṃmriyate yadi | sa ca svargamavāpnoti gaṃgāsnānaphalaṃ labhet
गङ्गास्नानाय संगच्छन् पथि यदि संम्रियते, स स्वर्गमवाप्नोति, गङ्गास्नानफलं च लभते।
Unspecified (narrative instruction within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa; exact dialogue speaker not provided in input)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: tirtha
Sandhi Resolution Notes: संगच्छन्पथि → संगच्छन् + पथि; स्वर्गमवाप्नोति → स्वर्गम् + अवाप्नोति; गंगास्नानफलं → गङ्गास्नानफलम् (अनुस्वार/ङ् normalization).
FAQs
It states that the spiritual fruit of bathing in the Gaṅgā is granted even if the pilgrim dies before reaching the river, provided the journey was undertaken for Gaṅgā-snānā.
The verse emphasizes the power of intention and sacred resolve (saṅkalpa) in pilgrimage: sincere movement toward a holy act is itself spiritually efficacious.
It portrays pilgrimage as a meritorious practice where the journey toward a tīrtha—especially the Gaṅgā—carries salvific value, linking devotion and effort with heavenly attainment (svarga).