Shloka 2
The Greatness of Haridvāra
Gaṅgādvāra-māhātmya
गंगाद्वारेति यत्ख्यातं तीर्थं पुण्यावहं गुरो । तत्समाख्याहि भद्रं ते श्रोतुं वांछास्ति मे हृदि ॥ २ ॥
gaṃgādvāreti yatkhyātaṃ tīrthaṃ puṇyāvahaṃ guro | tatsamākhyāhi bhadraṃ te śrotuṃ vāṃchāsti me hṛdi || 2 ||
Bạch Thầy, xin hãy thuật cho con về thánh địa Tīrtha nổi danh là “Gaṅgādvāra”, nơi đem lại phước đức. Nguyện lành đến với ngài—trong lòng con khát khao được nghe về nơi ấy.
Narada (questioning the Guru, traditionally Sanatkumara in this dialogue-frame)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It frames Gaṅgādvāra as a highly meritorious tīrtha and establishes the traditional purāṇic method: a disciple’s sincere inquiry prompting a detailed māhātmya (glorification) that guides pilgrimage and dharma.
Bhakti here appears as śravaṇa (devotional listening): the speaker’s heartfelt longing to hear the tīrtha’s greatness is itself a devotional act that prepares the mind for reverence, pilgrimage, and worship connected with the Ganga.
No specific Vedāṅga is taught in this verse; it instead introduces tīrtha-dharma—practical guidance for sacred geography and merit-making that later verses typically connect to rules of bathing, vows (vrata), and proper ritual conduct.