Shloka 7
Kāśī-māhātmya: Avimukta Gaṅgā and the Pañcanada Tīrtha
स्नानमात्रेण सर्वेभ्यः पातकेभ्यः प्रमुच्यते । काश्यामुत्तरवाहिन्यां गंगायां कार्तिके तथा ॥ ७ ॥
snānamātreṇa sarvebhyaḥ pātakebhyaḥ pramucyate | kāśyāmuttaravāhinyāṃ gaṃgāyāṃ kārtike tathā || 7 ||
Sa pagligo lamang, napapalaya ang tao mula sa lahat ng kasalanan—lalo na sa pagligo sa Kāśī, sa Gaṅgā na dumadaloy pahilaga, at gayundin sa buwan ng Kārtika.
Sūta (narrating the Narada–Sanatkumāra dialogue)
Vrata: Kārtika-snānānuṣṭhāna (month-long Kārtika bathing; implicit as a seasonal observance)
Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"shanta","secondary_rasa":"karuna","emotional_journey":"Moves from the burden of sin to relief through the simple act of bathing, highlighting Kāśī’s northward Gaṅgā and the auspiciousness of Kārtika."}
FAQs
It declares the exceptional purificatory power of tīrtha-snāna—especially Gaṅgā bathing at Kāśī and during Kārtika—as a direct means for the removal of pāpa (sin/impurity).
By highlighting Kāśī and Gaṅgā in Kārtika—times and places traditionally associated with heightened worship—it supports bhakti through embodied practice: approaching a sacred tīrtha with faith and performing snāna as an act of reverence.
Kalpa (ritual procedure) and Jyotiṣa (sacred calendrics) are implied: the act is snāna, and the timing is specified as the lunar month Kārtika, indicating vrata/observance aligned with traditional time-reckoning.