Shloka 3
Dāna-vrata and the Tīrtha Circuit of Venkaṭādri
Snāna, Mantra, Naivedya
जैगीषव्य उवाच / शृणु भद्रे प्रवक्ष्यामि माहात्म्यं पापनाशनम् / इयं नदी महाभागे सदा पापविनाशिनी
jaigīṣavya uvāca / śṛṇu bhadre pravakṣyāmi māhātmyaṃ pāpanāśanam / iyaṃ nadī mahābhāge sadā pāpavināśinī
ไชคีษัวยะกล่าวว่า “โอ้สตรีผู้เป็นมงคล จงฟังเถิด; เราจักพรรณนามหิมาศักดิ์สิทธิ์อันทำลายบาป โอ้ผู้มีบุญยิ่ง แม่น้ำนี้เป็นผู้ขจัดบาปอยู่เป็นนิตย์”
Jaigīṣavya (sage)
Concept: Tīrtha-mahātmyas: contact with sacred waters through snāna is taught as a means to attenuate pāpa and support dharmic renewal.
Vedantic Theme: External purification as an aid to inner purification; śraddhā in sacred means (upāya) within a dharmic worldview.
Application: Undertake sacred bathing with faith and ethical resolve (avoid repeating harmful actions), using the rite as a commitment to cleaner living.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: tirtha-nadi
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: dāna/tīrtha-mahātmyas emphasizing pāpa-kṣaya (general)
FAQs
This verse frames the river’s māhātmya as a purifying power—its sacred association is presented as a means for reducing the burden of pāpa (sin) and supporting spiritual purification.
By introducing a “māhātmyaṃ pāpanāśanam,” the speaker signals that purification can occur through contact with sacred tirthas (holy places), here specifically a revered river described as perpetually sin-removing.
Approach pilgrimage, bathing, and worship at sacred waters with ethical intent—pair external rites with inner discipline (truthfulness, restraint, charity) to make purification meaningful rather than merely symbolic.