gaṅgādi-vāso, yathā prathame (1.19.6)—
yā vai lasac-chrī-tulasī-vimiśra-
kṛṣṇāṅghri-reṇv-abhyadhikāmbu-netrī |
punāti seśān ubhayatra lokān
kas tāṁ na seveta mariṣyamāṇaḥ ||quoted · prathame
The verse — decoded
L1citation
yā vai lasac-chrī-tulasī-vimiśra-
yāshe who — i.e. the river Gaṅgā, picked up as the subject nom. sg. fem. relative pronounजो (गंगा)
vaiindeed, truly — a word of emphasis emphatic particleनिश्चय ही
lasac-chrī-tulasī-vimiśra-mixed together with the bright, lovely tulasī — the tulasī that is shining (lasat) and full of beauty (śrī); this compound leads into the next line compound, first member of the big description ending in netrīचमकती हुई शोभायुक्त तुलसी से मिली हुई (यह वर्णन आगे नेत्री तक चलता है)
yā — she who (the Gaṅgā); vai — indeed; lasac-chrī-tulasī-vimiśra- — mixed with the bright, beautiful tulasī …
yā — जो (गंगा); vai — निश्चय ही; lasac-chrī-tulasī-vimiśra- — चमकती हुई शोभायुक्त तुलसी से मिश्रित
She who — the river Gaṅgā — indeed. Her water is mingled with the tulasī that shines and is full of beauty. This first line opens a long description that finishes in the next line.
जो गंगा निश्चय ही — जिसमें चमकती हुई शोभामयी तुलसी मिली हुई है। यह पंक्ति आगे के वर्णन में जुड़ती जाती है।
Why cited: Adduced under the heading 'living at the Gaṅgā and such places' — that residence by the Gaṅgā is a factor favorable to bhakti.
क्यों उद्धृत: 'गंगा आदि स्थानों में निवास' शीर्षक के अन्तर्गत उद्धृत — गंगा के तट पर बसना भक्ति के लिए अनुकूल कारण है।
tulasī: the sacred basil plant, dear to Kṛṣṇa; here its leaves float in the Gaṅgā, having first been offered at Kṛṣṇa's feet.
तुलसी: कृष्ण को प्रिय पवित्र पौधा; यहाँ उसके पत्ते गंगा में तैरते हैं, जो पहले कृष्ण के चरणों में अर्पित किए गए थे।
L2citation
kṛṣṇāṅghri-reṇv-abhyadhikāmbu-netrī |
kṛṣṇāṅghri-reṇv-with the dust of Kṛṣṇa's feet — the tulasī of the last line is mixed with this dust compound: kṛṣṇa-aṅghri-reṇu, feeds abhyadhikaकृष्ण के चरणों की धूलि
abhyadhika-made more excellent, best of all — the water is superior because of that dust used by Viśvanātha as instrumental of cause: 'because of it'जिसके कारण (वह जल) और भी श्रेष्ठ है
ambu-the water — it is this water that is made supreme the thing describedजल
netrīshe who carries, brings, delivers — the Gaṅgā is the bearer of that supreme water nom. sg. fem. agent noun from √nī 'to lead'; whole line is one compound qualifying yā(उसे) लाने-पहुँचाने वाली
kṛṣṇa-aṅghri-reṇu- — by the dust of Kṛṣṇa's feet; abhyadhika- — made more excellent; ambu- — the water; netrī — she who carries it (the Gaṅgā).
kṛṣṇāṅghri-reṇv- — कृष्ण के चरणों की धूलि; abhyadhika- — जिसके कारण जल और भी श्रेष्ठ है; ambu- — जल; netrī — (उसे) पहुँचाने वाली
The dust of Kṛṣṇa's feet is what the tulasī was mingled with. By that dust her water is made better than all other water. And the Gaṅgā is the one who carries this supreme water. So the whole of lines one and two is one long phrase describing her.
कृष्ण के चरणों की धूलि के कारण जिसका जल और भी श्रेष्ठ है, वह गंगा उसी जल को लाने-पहुँचाने वाली है।
Why cited: Names exactly why the Gaṅgā is glorified here — her water touches the dust of Kṛṣṇa's feet — which is why living beside her aids devotion.
क्यों उद्धृत: ठीक यही बताता है कि यहाँ गंगा की महिमा क्यों है — उसका जल कृष्ण के चरणों की धूलि को छूता है — इसीलिए उसके तट पर निवास भक्ति में सहायक है।
netrī: literally 'a female leader/guide'; here in the plain sense 'she who brings/delivers' the water, as Viśvanātha glosses with prāpayitrī.
नेत्री: शब्दतः 'ले जाने वाली, मार्गदर्शिका'; यहाँ सीधे अर्थ में 'जल को लाने-पहुँचाने वाली', जैसा विश्वनाथ 'प्रापयित्री' से व्याख्या करते हैं।
L3citation
punāti seśān ubhayatra lokān
punātishe purifies, makes pure — the main verb; the Gaṅgā is the one doing the purifying 3rd sg. pres. of √pūपवित्र करती है
seśāntogether with their rulers — even the presiding lords of those worlds are purified too sa-īśān, acc. pl.; Viśvanātha: īśa-sahitānअधिष्ठाता ईशों (देवों) सहित
ubhayatrain both places — that is, in this world and the next adverb; Viśvanātha: asmin loke paratra caदोनों जगह (इस लोक और परलोक में)
lokānthe worlds — the object being purified acc. pl.लोकों को
punāti — she purifies; ubhayatra — in both places (here and hereafter); seśān lokān — the worlds together with their ruling lords.
punāti — पवित्र करती है; seśān — अधिष्ठाता देवों सहित; ubhayatra — दोनों जगह (इस लोक और परलोक में); lokān — लोकों को
She purifies. What she purifies is the worlds — and not only the worlds, but even their ruling lords along with them. And she does this in both places: in this world and in the next.
वह गंगा दोनों स्थानों में — अधिष्ठाता देवों सहित — समस्त लोकों को पवित्र करती है।
Why cited: Shows the sweep of the Gaṅgā's purifying power — worlds and even their rulers, here and hereafter — grounding why nearness to her is spiritually valuable.
क्यों उद्धृत: गंगा की पावन शक्ति का विस्तार दिखाता है — इस लोक और परलोक के लोक, और उनके शासक तक — जिससे उसके निकट रहने का आध्यात्मिक मूल्य सिद्ध होता है।
īśa: normally 'lord, ruler, controller'; here the presiding deities or rulers of the various worlds, who are themselves purified by the Gaṅgā.
ईश: सामान्यतः 'स्वामी, शासक, नियन्ता'; यहाँ विभिन्न लोकों के अधिष्ठाता देव या शासक, जो स्वयं भी गंगा से पवित्र होते हैं।
L4citation
kas tāṁ na seveta mariṣyamāṇaḥ ||
kaḥwho? — a rhetorical question meaning 'no one would fail to' nom. sg. interrogativeकौन
tāṁher — that same Gaṅgā just described acc. sg. fem., object of sevetaउस (गंगा) का
na sevetawould not serve, would not resort to — paired with 'who?' it means everyone surely would opt. of √sev with na; rhetorical double negativeसेवन न करेगा (दोहरे निषेध से — सभी करते हैं)
mariṣyamāṇaḥone who is about to die — a person facing imminent death (here recalling Parīkṣit, cursed to die in seven days) fut. act. participle of √mṛ, nom. sg.जो मरने वाला है, मरणासन्न
kaḥ — who?; mariṣyamāṇaḥ — being about to die; tāṁ — her (the Gaṅgā); na seveta — would not serve? (i.e. everyone would).
kaḥ — कौन; tāṁ — उस (गंगा) का; na seveta — सेवन न करेगा; mariṣyamāṇaḥ — जो मरने वाला है (मरणासन्न)
Who, when he is about to die, would not serve her? The question is rhetorical: it means no such person exists — anyone facing death would surely resort to the Gaṅgā. The phrase 'about to die' points to Parīkṣit, who was cursed to die within seven days.
जो मरने वाला है, ऐसा कौन होगा जो उस गंगा का सेवन न करे? अर्थात् मृत्यु के सम्मुख हर कोई उसकी शरण लेता है।
Why cited: Clinches the point — anyone facing death takes shelter of the Gaṅgā — so residence at the Gaṅgā is universally recognized as spiritually beneficial.
क्यों उद्धृत: बात को पक्का करता है — मृत्यु के सम्मुख खड़ा हर व्यक्ति गंगा की शरण लेता है — अतः गंगा के तट पर निवास सर्वसम्मत रूप से आध्यात्मिक रूप से हितकर है।
mariṣyamāṇaḥ: a future participle, 'one who is going to die'; in the Bhāgavatam context it fits Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who spoke and heard this while awaiting the death his curse had fixed.
मरिष्यमाण: भविष्यत् कृदन्त, 'जो मरने वाला है'; भागवत के प्रसंग में यह महाराज परीक्षित पर घटित होता है, जिन्होंने शाप से निश्चित मृत्यु की प्रतीक्षा करते हुए यह सुना-कहा।
Commentary — decoded
Jīva Gosvāmī + Mukunda-dāsa Gosvāmī
s1other
na vyākhyātam |
nanot negative particleनहीं
vyākhyātamcommented upon, explained — so: '[this verse was] not commented upon' past passive participle, n. sg., √vi-ā-khyāव्याख्या की गई
na — not; vyākhyātam — commented upon.
na — नहीं; vyākhyātam — व्याख्या की गई
Jīva and Mukunda give no comment on this verse. The note simply records that they left it unexplained.
(इन दोनों टीकाकारों ने इस श्लोक पर) कोई व्याख्या नहीं की।
vyākhyāta: 'explained, glossed'; here the editorial remark that these two commentators wrote nothing on this particular verse.
व्याख्यात: 'व्याख्या किया, टीका किया'; यहाँ यह सम्पादकीय टिप्पणी कि इन दोनों टीकाकारों ने इस विशेष श्लोक पर कुछ नहीं लिखा।
Viśvanātha Cakravartī
s1gloss
yā gaṅgā ubhayatra asmin loke paratra ca īśa-sahitān lokān punāti |
yā gaṅgāwhich [river] — namely the Gaṅgā — Viśvanātha supplies the noun for the verse's bare 'she who' nom. sg. fem.; fills in the referent of yāजो गंगा
ubhayatrain both places adverb, quoting the verseदोनों जगह
asmin lokein this world — the first of the two places loc. sg.; unpacks ubhayatraइस लोक में
paratra caand in the next world — the second of the two places adverb + ca; the other half of ubhayatraऔर परलोक में
īśa-sahitāntogether with their ruling lords — spelling out the verse's seśān acc. pl.; glosses sa-īśānअधिष्ठाता देवों सहित (सेशान् का अर्थ)
lokānthe worlds — the object acc. pl.लोकों को
punātishe purifies — the main verb 3rd sg. pres.पवित्र करती है
yā gaṅgā — which river, the Gaṅgā; ubhayatra = asmin loke paratra ca — in both places, i.e. in this world and the next; īśa-sahitān lokān — the worlds together with their ruling lords; punāti — she purifies.
yā gaṅgā — जो गंगा; ubhayatra — दोनों जगह; asmin loke — इस लोक में; paratra ca — और परलोक में; īśa-sahitān — अधिष्ठाता देवों सहित; lokān — लोकों को; punāti — पवित्र करती है
Viśvanātha first fills in the plain sense of the main sentence. The verse's bare 'she who' means the river Gaṅgā. 'In both places' means in this world and in the next. 'With their lords' means the worlds along with their ruling lords. Putting it together: the Gaṅgā purifies the worlds, together with their lords, in this world and the next.
जो गंगा दोनों जगह — इस लोक और परलोक में — अधिष्ठाता देवों सहित समस्त लोकों को पवित्र करती है।
s2gloss
kathambhūtā lasantī yā śrī-yuktā tulasī tayā vimiśro yaḥ kṛṣṇāṅghri-reṇus tenaivābhyadhikaṁ sarvato’pi śreṣṭhaṁ yad ambu tasya netrī prāpayitrī ||
kathambhūtāof what sort is she? — Viśvanātha's standard way of asking 'how is she described?', now unpacking the big compound nom. sg. fem.; introduces the description of yā/gaṅgāकैसी (गंगा)? — किस प्रकार की
lasantī yā śrī-yuktā tulasīthe tulasī which is shining and full of beauty — he resolves lasac-chrī-tulasī into a shining tulasī endowed with śrī nom. sg. fem.; glosses lasat-śrī-tulasīचमकती हुई जो शोभायुक्त तुलसी है
tayā vimiśraḥ yaḥ kṛṣṇāṅghri-reṇuḥthe dust of Kṛṣṇa's feet which is mixed with that [tulasī] — he ties reṇu to the tulasī by 'mixed with it' nom. sg. masc.; glosses tulasī-vimiśra-kṛṣṇāṅghri-reṇuउससे मिली हुई जो कृष्ण के चरणों की धूलि है
tena eva abhyadhikaṁmore excellent precisely because of that [dust] — 'eva' stresses that the dust alone is what makes it superior; instrumental of cause instr. of cause; abhyadhika taken as predicate of ambuउसी (धूलि) के कारण और भी बढ़कर श्रेष्ठ
sarvato’pi śreṣṭhaṁbest of all, superior even to everything else — Viśvanātha's expansion of abhyadhika explains abhyadhika by 'best of all'सबसे श्रेष्ठ
yad ambuwhich water — the water that is thus made supreme nom./acc. sg. n.; the thing describedजो जल
tasya netrī prāpayitrīshe is the carrier of that [water] — 'she who brings it, who causes it to be attained'; he glosses netrī with prāpayitrī gen. tasya + nom. netrī; prāpayitrī glosses netrīउस (जल) की लाने वाली, अर्थात् प्रापयित्री (पहुँचाने वाली)
kathambhūtā — of what sort is she?; lasantī śrī-yuktā tulasī — the shining tulasī full of beauty; tayā vimiśraḥ yaḥ kṛṣṇāṅghri-reṇuḥ — the dust of Kṛṣṇa's feet mixed with it; tena eva abhyadhikaṁ = sarvato'pi śreṣṭhaṁ yad ambu — the water which, precisely because of that dust, is more excellent, best of all; tasya netrī = prāpayitrī — she is the bearer, the deliverer, of that water.
kathambhūtā — कैसी (गंगा)?; lasantī yā śrī-yuktā tulasī — चमकती हुई जो शोभायुक्त तुलसी; tayā vimiśraḥ yaḥ kṛṣṇāṅghri-reṇuḥ — उससे मिली हुई जो कृष्ण के चरणों की धूलि; tena eva abhyadhikaṁ — उसी के कारण और बढ़कर; sarvato’pi śreṣṭhaṁ — सबसे श्रेष्ठ; yad ambu — जो जल; tasya netrī prāpayitrī — उस जल की प्रापयित्री (पहुँचाने वाली)
Now Viśvanātha unpacks the long compound word by word, asking 'and what is she like?' First: the tulasī, which is shining and full of beauty. Next: the dust of Kṛṣṇa's feet, which is mixed with that tulasī. Then: because of that dust — and that dust alone — the water is made more excellent, indeed the best of all water. Finally: she, the Gaṅgā, is the carrier of that water — the one who brings it, who lets people attain it. He glosses the verse's 'netrī' (carrier) with 'prāpayitrī' (she who causes it to be attained).
कैसी गंगा? — चमकती हुई शोभायुक्त तुलसी, उससे मिली हुई कृष्ण के चरणों की धूलि, और उसी धूलि के कारण जो जल सबसे श्रेष्ठ है — उस जल को पहुँचाने वाली (प्रापयित्री) है।
abhyadhika: 'surpassing, more than'; Viśvanātha reads it as predicated of the water — the water is 'best of all' — with 'because of that dust' (tena eva) as the reason, not as an epithet of anything else.
अभ्यधिक: 'बढ़कर, अधिक'; विश्वनाथ इसे जल का विशेषण मानते हैं — जल 'सबसे श्रेष्ठ' है — और 'उसी धूलि के कारण' (तेन एव) उसका हेतु है, किसी और का विशेषण नहीं।