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Mahābhārata • Parva 13 (Anuśāsanaparva) • Adhyāya 27

Anuśāsanaparva Adhyāya 27

अनुशासनपर्व • अध्यायः 27

Anuśāsanaparva Adhyāya 27 of the classical Mahābhārata with 106 verses.

Total: 106 Verses • Citations: MBh 13.27.1–106 • 250 Lexicon Terms • Page 2 of 4 (Verses 30 shown)
स्नातानां शुचिभिस्तोयैर्गाङ्गेयैः प्रयतात्मनाम् । व्युष्टिर्भवति या पुंसां न सा क्रतुशतैरपि ॥
English Translation
Hundreds of sacrifices cannot yield that merit which men of controlled souls are capable of acquiring by bathing in the sacred waters of Ganga.
यावदस्थि मनुष्यस्य गङ्गातोयेषु तिष्ठति । तावद्वर्षसहस्राणि स्वर्गं प्राप्य महीयते ॥
English Translation
A person is respected and adored in the celestial region for as long a period as his bones lie in the channel of Ganga.
अपहत्य तमस्तीव्रं यथा भात्युदये रविः । तथापहत्य पाप्मानं भाति गङ्गाजलोक्षितः ॥
English Translation
Even as the Sun, when he rises at the dawn of day, shines, having removed the darkness of night, likewise the person who has bathed in the waters of Ganga is seen to shine, purged of all his sins.
विसोमा इव शर्वर्यो विपुष्पास्तरवो यथा । तद्वद्देशा दिशश्चैव हीना गङ्गाजलैः शुभैः ॥
English Translation
The countries and the points of the compass which are destitute of the sacred waters of Ganga are like nights without the moon or trees without flowers. Indeed a world without Ganga is like the different castes and modes of life when they are shorn of virtue or like sacrifices without Soma.
वर्णाश्रमा यथा सर्वे स्वधर्मज्ञानवर्जिताः । क्रतवश्च यथासोमास्तथा गङ्गां विना जगत् ॥
English Translation
The countries and the points of the compass which are destitute of the sacred waters of Ganga are like nights without the moon or trees without flowers. Indeed a world without Ganga is like the different castes and modes of life when they are shorn of virtue or like sacrifices without Soma.
यथा हीनं नभोऽर्केण भूः शैलैः खं च वायुना । तथा देशा दिशश्चैव गङ्गाहीना न संशयः ॥
English Translation
Forsooth countries and points of the compass which are without Ganga are like the sky without the sun or the Earth without mountains, or the etherial region without air.
त्रिषु लोकेषु ये केचित्प्राणिनः सर्व एव ते । तर्प्यमाणाः परां तृप्तिं यान्ति गङ्गाजलैः शुभैः ॥
English Translation
All the creatures in the three worlds, if served with the sacred waters of Ganga, derive a pleasure the like of which they cannot derive from any other source.
यस्तु सूर्येण निष्टप्तं गाङ्गेयं पिबते जलम् । गवां निर्हारनिर्मुक्ताद्यावकात्तद्विशिष्यते ॥
English Translation
He who drinks Ganga water which has been heated by the Sun's rays, derives merit much greater than that which belongs to the vow of living upon the wheat or grains or other corn picked up from cowdung.
इन्दुव्रतसहस्रं तु चरेद्यः कायशोधनम् । पिबेद्यश्चापि गङ्गाम्भः समौ स्यातां न वा समौ ॥
English Translation
It cannot be said whether, he who performs a thousand Chandrayana rites for purifying his body and he who drinks the water of Ganga, are equal.
तिष्ठेद्युगसहस्रं तु पादेनैकेन यः पुमान् । मासमेकं तु गङ्गायां समौ स्यातां न वा समौ ॥
English Translation
It cannot be said whether one who stands for a thousand years on one foot and one who lives for only a month by the side of Ganga are equal.
लम्बेतावाक्शिरा यस्तु युगानामयुतं पुमान् । तिष्ठेद्यथेष्टं यश्चापि गङ्गायां स विशिष्यते ॥
English Translation
One who lives permanently by the side of Ganga is superior in merit to one who lives for ten thousand cycles with head hanging downwards.
अग्नौ प्राप्तं प्रधूयेत यथा तूलं द्विजोत्तम । तथा गङ्गावगाढस्य सर्वं पापं प्रधूयते ॥
English Translation
As cotton, when it comes into contact with fire, is burnt off without a residue, so the sins of the person that has bathed in Ganga become perfectly consumed.
भूतानामिह सर्वेषां दुःखोपहतचेतसाम् । गतिमन्वेषमाणानां न गङ्गासदृशी गतिः ॥
English Translation
There is no end superior to Ganga for those creatures who, with hearts afflicted by sorrow, seek to attain to ends which may remove that sorrow of theirs.
भवन्ति निर्विषाः सर्पा यथा तार्क्ष्यस्य दर्शनात् । गङ्गाया दर्शनात्तद्वत्सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते ॥
English Translation
As snakes become shorn of their poison as soon as they see Garuda, so one becomes purged of all his sins as soon as he sees the sacred river Ganga.
अप्रतिष्ठाश्च ये केचिदधर्मशरणाश्च ये । तेषां प्रतिष्ठा गङ्गेह शरणं शर्म वर्म च ॥
English Translation
They who do not enjoy fame for virtue and they who are addicted to deeds of sinfulness, have Ganga for their fame, their protection, their means of safety their refuge or cover.
प्रकृष्टैरशुभैर्ग्रस्ताननेकैः पुरुषाधमान् । पततो नरके गङ्गा संश्रितान्प्रेत्य तारयेत् ॥
English Translation
Many wretched men who commit various sins of a heinous nature, when they are about to sink into hell, are rescued by Ganga in the next world.
ते संविभक्ता मुनिभिर्नूनं देवैः सवासवैः । येऽभिगच्छन्ति सततं गङ्गामभिगतां सुरैः ॥
English Translation
They, O foremost of intelligent men, who plunge every day in the sacred waters of Ganga, become the equals of great Munis and the very deities headed by Indra.
विनयाचारहीनाश्च अशिवाश्च नराधमाः । ते भवन्ति शिवा विप्र ये वै गङ्गां समाश्रिताः ॥
English Translation
Those wretched men who are destitute of humility or modesty of behaviour and who are greatly sinful, become righteous and good, O Brahmana, by living by the side of Ganga.
यथा सुराणाममृतं पितॄणां च यथा स्वधा । सुधा यथा च नागानां तथा गङ्गाजलं नृणाम् ॥
English Translation
As ambrosia is to the deities, as Svadha is to the Pitris, as Svadha is to the Nagas, so is Gangawater to human beings.
उपासते यथा बाला मातरं क्षुधयार्दिताः । श्रेयस्कामास्तथा गङ्गामुपासन्तीह देहिनः ॥
English Translation
As children stricken with hunger, solicit their mothers for food, similarly do people desirous of their highest good seek Ganga.
स्वायंभुवं यथा स्थानं सर्वेषां श्रेष्ठमुच्यते । स्नातानां सरितां श्रेष्ठा गङ्गा तद्वदिहोच्यते ॥
English Translation
As the region of the selfcreate Brahman is said to be the foremost of all places, so is Ganga said to be foremost of all rivers for those who desire to bathe.
यथोपजीविनां धेनुर्देवादीनां धरा स्मृता । तथोपजीविनां गङ्गा सर्वप्राणभृतामिह ॥
English Translation
As the Earth and the cow are said to be the chief sustenance of the celestials, so is Ganga the chief sustenance of all living creatures.
देवाः सोमार्कसंस्थानि यथा सत्रादिभिर्मखैः । अमृतान्युपजीवन्ति तथा गङ्गाजलं नराः ॥
English Translation
As the celestials support themselves upon the ambrosia that is in the Sun and the Moon and that is offered in various sacrifices, so do human beings support themselves upon Gangawater.
जाह्नवीपुलिनोत्थाभिः सिकताभिः समुक्षितः । मन्यते पुरुषोऽऽत्मानं दिविष्ठमिव शोभितम् ॥
English Translation
One besmeared with the sand taken from the shores of Ganga considers oneself as an inhabitant of heaven, adorned with celestial unguents.
जाह्नवीतीरसंभूतां मृदं मूर्ध्ना बिभर्ति यः । बिभर्ति रूपं सोऽर्कस्य तमोनाशात्सुनिर्मलम् ॥
English Translation
He who bears on his head the mud taken from the banks of Ganga looks effulgent like the sun himself bent on removing the surrounding darkness.
गङ्गोर्मिभिरथो दिग्धः पुरुषं पवनो यदा । स्पृशते सोऽपि पाप्मानं सद्य एवापमार्जति ॥
English Translation
When the wind which is moistened with the particles of Gangawater touches one's body, it cleanses him immediately of every sin.
व्यसनैरभितप्तस्य नरस्य विनशिष्यतः । गङ्गादर्शनजा प्रीतिर्व्यसनान्यपकर्षति ॥
English Translation
A person afflicted by calamities and about to sink under their pressures finds all his calamities removed by the joy which originates in his heart on seeing that sacred river.
हंसारावैः कोकरवै रवैरन्यैश्च पक्षिणाम् । पस्पर्ध गङ्गा गन्धर्वान्पुलिनैश्च शिलोच्चयान् ॥
English Translation
By the sweet notes of the swans and Kokas and other aquatic fowl that play on her breast, Ganga, challenges the very Gandharvas and by her high banks the very mountains on the Earth.
हंसादिभिः सुबहुभिर्विविधैः पक्षिभिर्वृताम् । गङ्गां गोकुलसंबाधां दृष्ट्वा स्वर्गोऽपि विस्मृतः ॥
English Translation
Seeing her surface teeming with swans and various other aquatic fowl, and having banks adorned with pasture lands with kine grazing on them, the celestial region herself loses her pride.
न सा प्रीतिर्दिविष्ठस्य सर्वकामानुपाश्नतः । अभवद्या परा प्रीतिर्गङ्गायाः पुलिने नृणाम् ॥
English Translation
The high happiness which one enjoys by living on the banks of Ganga, can never be his who is living even in the celestial region.
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