Shloka 4

गङ्गाधारणम् (Gaṅgādhāraṇa) — Śiva Bears the Descent of Gaṅgā

Devanagari script

आरिराधयिषुर्गड्रां तपसा दग्धकिल्बिष: | सो5पश्यत नरश्रेष्ठ हिमवन्तं नगोत्तमम्‌,नरेश्वरर! तपस्यासे सारा पाप नष्ट करके वे गंगाजीकी आराधना करना चाहते थे। उन्होंने देखा कि गिरिराज हिमालय विविध धातुओंसे विभूषित नाना प्रकारके शिखरोंसे अलंकृत है। वायुके आधारपर उड़नेवाले मेघ चारों ओरसे उसका अभिषेक कर रहे हैं

Transliteration

Ārirādhayiṣur Gaṅgāṃ tapasā dagdha-kilbiṣaḥ | so 'paśyata naraśreṣṭha Himavantaṃ nagottamam ||

Translation

తపస్సుతో పాపాలు దగ్ధమై, గంగాదేవిని ప్రసన్నం చేయాలని కోరుతూ—ఓ నరశ్రేష్ఠా—అతడు పర్వతాల్లో శ్రేష్ఠుడైన హిమవంతుని దర్శించెను.

Word by Word

• {'ārirādhayiṣuḥ': 'wishing/desiring to propitiate or worship (intensive desiderative sense)', 'gaṅgām': 'Gaṅgā, the sacred river-goddess (accusative singular)', 'tapasā': 'by austerity, ascetic heat, disciplined practice (instrumental singular)', 'dagdha': 'burnt, scorched, consumed (by fire/heat

• here metaphorical)', 'kilbiṣaḥ': 'sin, moral stain, wrongdoing (nominative singular)', 'saḥ': 'he', 'apaśyata': 'saw, beheld', 'naraśreṣṭha': 'O best of men (vocative

• honorific address)', 'himavantam': 'Himavant/Himālaya (accusative singular)', 'nagottamam': 'the best/foremost of mountains (accusative singular)'}

Speaker

लोगश उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Himavant (Himālaya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Austerity (tapas) is portrayed as an inner fire that burns away moral impurity (kilbiṣa), making one fit to approach and honor sacred realities like Gaṅgā; ethical purification precedes and deepens devotion.

What is happening in the narrative?

A person intent on worshipping Gaṅgā, purified through ascetic practice, arrives in the Himalayan region and beholds Himavant, the supreme mountain—marking a transition into a holy setting associated with rivers, sages, and penance.