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 ||
Chỉ cần tắm gội thôi cũng được giải thoát khỏi mọi tội lỗi—đặc biệt là tắm tại Kāśī, trong sông Gaṅgā chảy về phương bắc, và cũng vậy trong tháng Kārtika.
Sūta (narrating the Narada–Sanatkumāra dialogue)
Vrata: Kārtika-snānānuṣṭhāna (month-long Kārtika bathing; implicit as a seasonal observance)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
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.