Shloka 13
शिशुमार-रूपं, ध्रुवबन्धनम्, वृष्टिचक्र-पालनम्, नारायणाधारत्वम्
तस्य संस्पर्शनिर्धूतपापपङ्को द्विजोत्तम न याति नरकं मर्त्यो दिव्यं स्नानं हि तत् स्मृतम्
tasya saṃsparśanirdhūtapāpapaṅko dvijottama na yāti narakaṃ martyo divyaṃ snānaṃ hi tat smṛtam
O pinakamainam sa mga dvija, ang mortal na ang putik ng kasalanan ay nahuhugasan sa paghipo lamang ay hindi mapupunta sa impiyerno; sapagkat ito’y kinikilalang “banal na paliligo”.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
FAQs
This verse states that a sacred bath is considered “divine” because mere contact with the holy medium is said to cleanse accumulated sin and prevent descent to naraka, highlighting tīrthas as instruments of karmic purification.
Parāśara frames sin as a clinging ‘mire’ (pāpa-paṅka) that can be ‘shaken off’ (nirdhūta) through contact with a consecrated tīrtha, emphasizing ritual purification as a real moral transformation within karmic law.
Even when Vishnu is not named explicitly, the Vishnu Purana treats sacred geography and rites as operating under the sovereignty of the Supreme—tīrthas are efficacious because the cosmic order upheld by Vishnu makes dharma, purification, and karmic results dependable.