Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 11

The Greatness of the Gaṅgā

Gaṅgāmāhātmya

Devanagari script

सर्वतीर्थाभिषेकाणि यानि पुण्यानि तानि वै । गङ्गाबिन्द्वभिषेकस्य कलां नार्हन्ति षोडशीम् ॥ ११ ॥

Transliteration

sarvatīrthābhiṣekāṇi yāni puṇyāni tāni vai | gaṅgābindvabhiṣekasya kalāṃ nārhanti ṣoḍaśīm || 11 ||

Translation

All the merits gained from bathing (or being anointed) at every sacred ford are real indeed; yet they do not equal even a sixteenth part of the merit obtained by being anointed with a single drop of the Gaṅgā.

Word by Word

• sarvatīrthābhiṣekāṇi: ablutions of all sacred places
• sarvatīrthābhiṣekāṇi: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + tīrtha + abhiṣeka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा (1st case/nominative), बहुवचन (plural); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive tatpuruṣa: sarveṣāṃ tīrthānām abhiṣekāḥ)

• yāni: which
• yāni: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा (1st case/nominative), बहुवचन (plural); सम्बन्धबोधक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• puṇyāni: meritorious/holy
• puṇyāni: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा (1st case/nominative), बहुवचन (plural); विशेषण of (yāni...abhiṣekāṇi)

• tāni: those
• tāni: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा (1st case/nominative), बहुवचन (plural); निर्देशात्मक सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: indeed)

• gaṅgābindu-abhiṣekasya: of the ablution with a drop of Gaṅgā-water
• gaṅgābindu-abhiṣekasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā + bindu + abhiṣeka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), षष्ठी (6th case/genitive), एकवचन (singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive tatpuruṣa: gaṅgāyāḥ binduḥ—tasya abhiṣekaḥ)

• kalām: a fraction/part
• kalām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), द्वितीया (2nd case/accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• arhanti: are worthy of/attain
• arhanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

• ṣoḍaśīm: sixteenth
• ṣoḍaśīm: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣoḍaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), द्वितीया (2nd case/accusative), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण of kalām (i.e., the sixteenth part)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Ganga

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It elevates Gaṅgā-water as uniquely purifying, declaring that even a single drop used for abhiṣeka surpasses the combined merit of ritual bathings at all other tīrthas.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

By praising Gaṅgā as supremely sanctifying, the verse supports bhakti-oriented purification: approaching holy means (like Gaṅgā associated with divine grace) with faith is portrayed as more potent than merely accumulating many ritual acts.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It highlights ritual practice (kalpa/ācāra): the use of abhiṣeka and sacred water as a purificatory rite, emphasizing the hierarchy of tīrtha-dravya (holy substances) in dharmic observance.