Shloka 20

Account of Various Sacred Tīrthas

Pilgrimage Merits and Prayāga Supremacy

Devanagari script

ततो गच्छेत कावेरीं वृतामृप्सरसां गणैः । तत्र स्नात्वा नरो राजन्गोसहस्रफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

tato gaccheta kāverīṃ vṛtāmṛpsarasāṃ gaṇaiḥ | tatra snātvā naro rājangosahasraphalaṃ labhet

Translation

แล้วพึงไปยังแม่น้ำกาเวรี อันรายล้อมด้วยหมู่อัปสรา ข้าแต่พระราชา บุรุษผู้ลงอาบที่นั่นย่อมได้ผลบุญเทียบการถวายโคหนึ่งพันตัว

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण) (contextual/time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) of sequence: 'thereafter'

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: Verb (तिङन्त), विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• kāverīm: the Kaveri (river)
• kāverīm: Karma (कर्म) (destination as object of motion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāverī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative, 2nd), एकवचन (singular)

• vṛtām: surrounded
• vṛtām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛta (कृदन्त; √vṛ 'to cover/encircle')
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Strīliṅga, द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन; agrees with 'kāverīm'

• apsarasām: of the apsarases
• apsarasām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध) (genitive relation with 'gaṇaiḥ')
• Type: Noun
• Root: apsaras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (genitive, 6th), बहुवचन (plural)

• gaṇaiḥ: by/with groups
• gaṇaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण) (instrument/association: 'by/with groups')
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (instrumental, 3rd), बहुवचन (plural)

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

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Kriyā (क्रिया) (prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive (क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त), 'having bathed'

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (कर्ता) (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (nominative, 1st), एकवचन

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (vocative), एकवचन

• go-sahasra-phalam: the fruit (merit) of a thousand cows
• go-sahasra-phalam: Karma (कर्म) (object of 'labhet')
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'of a thousand cows' qualifying 'phala'

• labhet: would obtain
• labhet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: Verb (तिङन्त), विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified in provided excerpt (likely a Purāṇic narrator addressing a king within a tīrtha-māhātmya context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: river

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: rājan + go-sahasra-phalam → rājangosahasraphalam (final -n before g); vṛtā + apsarasām → vṛtām apsarasām (anusvāra before vowel in some recensions).

Characters & Entities

• Kāverī
• Apsarases

FAQs

What does this verse say about the spiritual benefit of bathing in the Kāverī?

It states that bathing in the Kāverī grants merit equal to the religious fruit of gifting a thousand cows (go-sahasra-phala).

Why are Apsarases mentioned in connection with the Kāverī?

Their presence poetically marks the river as celestial and highly sanctified, implying that the tīrtha is honored even in divine realms.

What ethical or devotional lesson is implied by equating bathing with a major gift like go-dāna?

The verse promotes tīrtha-oriented piety and encourages accessible religious practice—devout bathing at a sacred river is presented as a powerful means of accruing merit comparable to costly charity.