Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 43
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā
Gaṅgāmāhātmya
यो गङ्गां भजते नित्यं शंकरो लोकशंकरः । लिङ्गरूपीं कथं तस्या महिमा परिकीर्त्यते ॥ ४३ ॥
yo gaṅgāṃ bhajate nityaṃ śaṃkaro lokaśaṃkaraḥ | liṅgarūpīṃ kathaṃ tasyā mahimā parikīrtyate || 43 ||
Selbst Śaṅkara, der Wohltäter der Welten, verehrt die Gaṅgā täglich. Da sie in der Gestalt des Liṅga selbst gegenwärtig ist, wie könnte ihre Größe je angemessen gepriesen werden?
Narada (in dialogue with Sanatkumara tradition; verse praising Gaṅgā’s mahimā)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It elevates Gaṅgā as supremely venerable: even Śiva (Śaṅkara), the world’s benefactor, worships her daily—implying her glory is beyond complete verbal description.
It presents bhakti as regular, daily reverence (nityam bhajate) and teaches that honoring a divine tirtha like Gaṅgā is itself a potent devotional practice, endorsed by the highest deity (Śiva).
The verse primarily emphasizes nitya-upāsanā (daily worship discipline) and tirtha-mahimā rather than a specific Vedāṅga; it supports ritual regularity (ācāra) as a practical takeaway for Narada Purana rituals.