Shloka 49

The Glory of Gayā and the Pilgrimage Circuit of Allied Tīrthas

Devanagari script

भरतस्याश्रमं गत्वा सर्वपापप्रमोचनम् । कौशिकीं तत्र सेवेत महापातकनाशिनीम्

Transliteration

bharatasyāśramaṃ gatvā sarvapāpapramocanam | kauśikīṃ tatra seveta mahāpātakanāśinīm

Translation

भरतस्याश्रमं गत्वा सर्वपापप्रमोचनम्। तत्र कौशिकीं सेवेत महापातकनाशिनीम्॥

Word by Word

• bharatasya: of Bharata
• bharatasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bharata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• āśramam: hermitage
• āśramam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āśrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), indeclinable verbal (अव्ययकृदन्त)

• sarva-pāpa-pramocanam: that which releases from all sins
• sarva-pāpa-pramocanam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + pramocana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying āśramam (or the act/place)

• kauśikīm: Kauśikī (river/goddess)
• kauśikīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kauśikī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb of place (देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण)

• seveta: should serve/worship
• seveta: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sev (सेव् धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

• mahā-pātaka-nāśinīm: destroyer of great sins
• mahā-pātaka-nāśinīm: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + pātaka (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying kauśikīm

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative voice within the Svarga-khaṇḍa pilgrimage context; commonly transmitted in the Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue, but not explicit in the provided verse alone).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: forest

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: bharatasyāśramam = bharatasya + āśramam.

Characters & Entities

• Bharata
• Kauśikī

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the geography of sacred Tīrthas?

It links a specific sacred site—Bharata’s āśrama—with a nearby sanctifying river, Kauśikī, presenting the landscape as spiritually efficacious through visitation and worship.

How does this verse emphasize the path of Bhakti?

By prescribing “sevā” (devotional service/worship) to Kauśikī, it frames purification not only as travel but as reverent, devotional engagement with a sacred manifestation.

What is the ethical lesson from this teaching?

It underscores accountability and reform: even grave wrongdoing is met with a prescribed discipline—pilgrimage and sincere worship—directed toward purification and renewed dharmic living.