Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 29
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā
Gaṅgāmāhātmya
सेयं गङ्गा महापुण्या नदी भक्त्या निषेविता । मेषतौलिमृगार्केषु पावयत्यखिलं जगत् ॥ २९ ॥
seyaṃ gaṅgā mahāpuṇyā nadī bhaktyā niṣevitā | meṣataulimṛgārkeṣu pāvayatyakhilaṃ jagat || 29 ||
এই গংগা মহাপুণ্যময়ী নদী, যাক ভক্তিভাৱে সেৱা কৰা হয়; সূৰ্য মেষ, তুলা আৰু মৃগ ৰাশিত থাকোঁতে সি অখিল জগত পাৱন কৰে।
Sanatkumara (in dialogue with Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It declares Gaṅgā as a universally purifying tīrtha whose sanctity is activated through bhakti (devotional resorting), emphasizing her role as a dharma-supporting purifier for all beings.
Purification is not presented as merely physical contact with water but as ‘bhaktyā niṣevitā’—approaching and serving Gaṅgā with reverence—showing that inner devotion is central to the fruit of tīrtha-sevā.
It points to Jyotiṣa (Vedic astrology) by naming specific solar placements (Meṣa, Taulī, Mṛga) as spiritually potent times for tīrtha practices like Gaṅgā-snāna.