Shloka 81
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā: Purification, Ancestor Rites, and Liberation
पाथेयकं गच्छतां यो वसु शक्त्या प्रयच्छति । भागीरथ्या लभेत्स्नानं यः परान्नेन गच्छति
pātheyakaṃ gacchatāṃ yo vasu śaktyā prayacchati | bhāgīrathyā labhetsnānaṃ yaḥ parānnena gacchati
ผู้ใดตามกำลังถวายทรัพย์เป็นเสบียงแก่ผู้เดินทาง ย่อมได้บุญประหนึ่งอาบน้ำศักดิ์สิทธิ์ในภาคีรถี (คงคา); และผู้ใดเกื้อกูลผู้เดินทางด้วยอาหารปรุงสุก ก็ได้บุญนั้นเช่นกัน
Unspecified in provided excerpt (context-dependent within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa 62)
Concept: Dāna to wayfarers (pathika-sevā) is spiritually equivalent to bathing in the Gaṅgā; service becomes portable tīrtha.
Application: When you cannot travel or perform elaborate rites, practice ‘mobile pilgrimage’ by feeding and assisting travelers, guests, and the needy according to capacity.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: river
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dusty road meets the Gaṅgā ghāṭa: travelers with bundles and staffs pause as a householder offers coins and a warm meal on leaf-plates. In the background, the Bhāgīrathī flows like a silver ribbon, visually linking the humble act of giving to the sanctity of sacred bathing.","primary_figures":["householder donor","travelers/wayfarers","Gaṅgā/Bhāgīrathī as sacred river presence","optional small shrine priest"],"setting":"Roadside rest spot near a Gaṅgā ghāṭa, banyan tree shade, simple hearth, leaf plates, water pot","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["earth brown","river silver-blue","saffron cloth","leaf green","warm terracotta"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: donor offering coins and food to travelers beside a stylized Gaṅgā ghāṭa, small Gaṅgā-devī icon in a shrine niche; gold leaf highlights on river ripples and halos, rich reds/greens, ornate border with floral motifs and traditional jewelry detailing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: gentle roadside charity scene with delicate figures, soft morning light, Bhāgīrathī painted as a luminous stream; cool natural palette, refined facial expressions of gratitude, lyrical trees and distant hills, intimate realism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined donor and travelers, stylized leaf-plates and water pot, patterned river band behind; strong ochre-red-green palette, temple-wall composition emphasizing the gesture of giving as sacred mudrā.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central act of anna-dāna framed by lotus and creeper borders, river motif rendered in decorative waves, peacocks near the banyan; deep blue accents with gold highlights, symmetrical arrangement celebrating charity as tīrtha."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["flowing water","footsteps on stone","soft clink of coins","birds in banyan tree","distant temple bell"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: लभेत्स्नानम् = लभेत् + स्नानम्; परान्नेन = पर + अन्नेन (तत्पुरुष-समासरूप).
FAQs
It equates practical charity—helping travelers with provisions or food—to the sacred merit traditionally associated with bathing in the Gaṅgā (Bhāgīrathī), emphasizing accessible righteousness over mere ritual travel.
It praises aiding those on the road—by giving money or supplies within one’s means, and by providing food—as a high form of dharma, framing traveler-support as spiritually transformative.
The verse promotes compassionate social responsibility: supporting others in need during travel is presented as a powerful, merit-yielding act, comparable to major pilgrimage observances.