Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 29
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā (Gaṅgā-māhātmya): Saudāsa/Kalmāṣapāda’s Curse and Release
रक्षसा वंचितं भूपं ज्ञातवान् दिव्यचक्षुषा । राजापि जलमादाय वशिष्टं शप्तुमुद्यतः ॥ २९ ॥
rakṣasā vaṃcitaṃ bhūpaṃ jñātavān divyacakṣuṣā | rājāpi jalamādāya vaśiṣṭaṃ śaptumudyataḥ || 29 ||
দিব্যদৃষ্টিৰে সি জানিলে যে ৰাক্ষসে ৰজাক ঠগিছে। ৰজাও হাতে জল লৈ বশিষ্ঠক শাপ দিবলৈ উদ্যত হ’ল।
Narrator (Purana narrator within the Narada Purana tradition)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: vira (heroic)
Secondary Rasa: raudra (anger)
FAQs
It highlights how deception (by a rākṣasa) can cloud judgment and push even a king toward adharma, showing the need for discernment and self-restraint—especially before invoking a curse, which is treated as a potent moral-spiritual act in Purāṇic ethics.
Indirectly, it contrasts reactive anger with the devotional virtues of humility and steadiness; bhakti-oriented conduct values reverence for sages and control of speech and intention, preventing harmful acts done under delusion.
Ritual practice is implied in “taking water in hand” (udaka-grahaṇa), a formal gesture used to sanction a vow/resolve; the verse cautions that ritualized speech-acts (like a curse) should be governed by dharmic judgment, not emotion.