Shloka 21
The Greatness of Bathing in the Ganges
Gaṅgā-snānā-mahātmya
चांद्रायणसहस्रस्य स फलं लभते ध्रुवम् । गङ्गा गङ्गा जपन्नाम योजनानां शते स्थितः ॥ २१ ॥
cāṃdrāyaṇasahasrasya sa phalaṃ labhate dhruvam | gaṅgā gaṅgā japannāma yojanānāṃ śate sthitaḥ || 21 ||
Người ấy chắc chắn đạt công đức như đã hành trì một ngàn hạnh nguyện Cāndrāyaṇa. Dẫu ở cách trăm do-tuần, nếu luôn trì niệm danh “Gaṅgā, Gaṅgā”, vẫn được phước ấy.
Narada (teaching within the Ganga-mahatmya context)
Vrata: Cāndrāyaṇa
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It teaches that sincere remembrance and repetition of the sacred name “Gaṅgā” can confer immense purificatory merit—equal to severe expiatory vows—showing the extraordinary power of nāma (holy name) within tīrtha-mahātmyas.
By elevating simple nāma-japa (“Gaṅgā, Gaṅgā”) over arduous austerities, the verse emphasizes devotion expressed through constant remembrance and verbal repetition, a hallmark bhakti practice accessible even without physical proximity to the tīrtha.
It references the Cāndrāyaṇa vrata, a lunar-regulated penance tied to calendrical observance (Jyotiṣa/Vedic astronomy-astrology), indicating that ritual merit measured by time-and-moon disciplines can be matched by focused sacred-name practice.