Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 70
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā (Gaṅgā-māhātmya): Saudāsa/Kalmāṣapāda’s Curse and Release
राक्षसश्च पिशाची च क्रोशन्तौ निर्जने वने । जग्मतुर्नर्मदातीरे वनं राक्षससेवितम् ॥ ७० ॥
rākṣasaśca piśācī ca krośantau nirjane vane | jagmaturnarmadātīre vanaṃ rākṣasasevitam || 70 ||
ৰাক্ষস আৰু পিশাচী নিৰ্জন বনতে চিঞৰি-চিঞৰি নৰ্মদা-তীৰৰ ৰাক্ষসসেৱিত বনলৈ গ’ল।
Narada (narrating within the Purana’s dialogue framework)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It frames a fearful, tamasic setting (rākṣasa–piśācī in a lonely forest) to contrast with the sanctity of a great river-region like the Narmadā, a common Purāṇic device to highlight the need for dharma and spiritual protection in perilous places.
Though the verse is narrative, it sets the context where fear and impurity dominate; in Purāṇic teaching, such conditions are countered through remembrance and devotion to Bhagavān (especially Viṣṇu), reinforcing bhakti as a refuge when one enters dangerous moral or spiritual terrain.
No direct Vedāṅga instruction is given; however, the verse uses precise narrative grammar (dual forms like krośantau, jagmatuḥ) that aligns with Vyākaraṇa awareness, useful for accurate chanting, parsing, and archival annotation of Sanskrit texts.