Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 19
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā (Gaṅgā-māhātmya): Saudāsa/Kalmāṣapāda’s Curse and Release
समाप्य यज्ञनिष्क्रांतो वशिष्टः स्नातकोऽपि च । अत्रान्तरे राक्षसोऽसौ नृपहिम्सितभार्यकः । कर्तुं प्रतिक्रियां राज्ञे समायातोरुषान्वितः ॥ १९ ॥
samāpya yajñaniṣkrāṃto vaśiṣṭaḥ snātako'pi ca | atrāntare rākṣaso'sau nṛpahimsitabhāryakaḥ | kartuṃ pratikriyāṃ rājñe samāyātoruṣānvitaḥ || 19 ||
After completing the sacrifice, Vasiṣṭha—having also finished the purificatory bath of a snātaka—departed. Meanwhile, that rākṣasa, whose wife had been wronged by the king, arrived in a fury to exact retaliation upon the king.
Suta (narrating the Purana’s account)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
It contrasts ritual completion (yajña and snātaka purity) with moral failure in kingship: dharma is not upheld by rites alone, and harmful acts trigger inevitable karmic reactions through conflict and retaliation.
Indirectly, it sets the ethical ground for bhakti: devotion in the Purāṇic vision rests on ahiṃsā, self-restraint, and dharmic conduct; without these, even sacred rites cannot prevent suffering and turmoil.
Ritual discipline is implied through the yajña’s completion and the snātaka observance—pointing to Kalpa (ritual procedure) and the idea of post-ritual purity and conduct expected after a sacrifice.