Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 100
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā (Gaṅgā-māhātmya): Saudāsa/Kalmāṣapāda’s Curse and Release
तर्कस्तु वादहेतुः स्यान्नीतिस्त्वैहिकसाधनम् । पुराणानि महाबुद्धे इहामुत्र सुखाय हि ॥ १०० ॥
tarkastu vādahetuḥ syānnītistvaihikasādhanam | purāṇāni mahābuddhe ihāmutra sukhāya hi || 100 ||
Reasoning (tarka) is the ground of debate, and nīti—ethical conduct and polity—is a means to worldly success; but the Purāṇas, O great-minded one, are truly for happiness both here and hereafter.
Sanatkumāra (addressing Nārada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It ranks disciplines by their scope: logic serves argument and nīti serves worldly order, while Purāṇic teaching is presented as dharma-guidance that yields well-being both in worldly life and in the afterlife.
By elevating the Purāṇas above mere debate and worldly strategy, it points to Purāṇic instruction—typically centered on Hari/Vishnu, dharma, and sacred narratives—as the means to lasting welfare, which is the practical aim of bhakti-oriented living.
It indirectly distinguishes auxiliary intellectual tools: tarka (reasoning used in vāda) and nīti (practical governance/ethics). The verse implies these are limited to debate or worldly aims, whereas Purāṇic dharma integrates practical life with spiritual outcomes.