Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 146
Pāpa-bheda, Naraka-yātanā, Mahāpātaka-vicāra, Atonement Limits, Daśa-vidhā Bhakti, and Gaṅgā as Final Remedy
यस्तु स्वकृतपापानां क्षयार्थं प्रार्चयेद्वरिम् । श्रद्धया परयोपेतः सा सात्त्विक्यधमा स्मृता ॥ १४६ ॥
yastu svakṛtapāpānāṃ kṣayārthaṃ prārcayedvarim | śraddhayā parayopetaḥ sā sāttvikyadhamā smṛtā || 146 ||
Wer jedoch Hari verehrt, um die von ihm selbst begangenen Sünden zu vernichten—selbst wenn er mit höchster श्रद्धा erfüllt ist—dessen Verehrung gilt als die niedrigere Form sāttvika (gütegegründeter) Hingabe.
Sanatkumāra (teaching Nārada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It ranks devotion by motive: worship aimed primarily at erasing one’s own sins is still sāttvika due to faith, yet considered a lower grade because it is self-focused rather than purely God-centered.
It implies that bhakti matures as the devotee’s aim shifts from personal relief (like pāpa-kṣaya) to selfless love and service to Hari, where God is sought for His own sake.
Ritual principle (kalpa/ācāra): the same act of worship is evaluated by saṅkalpa (intention). The verse teaches that motive determines the qualitative category (guṇa-based ranking) of a rite.