Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 57
Dharma-ākhyāna (Discourse on Dharma): Worthy Charity, Fruitless Gifts, and the Merit of Building Ponds
मृदं सिद्धार्थमात्रां वा तडागाद्यो वहिः क्षिपेत् । तिष्टत्यब्दशतं स्वर्गे विमुक्तः पापकोटिभिः ॥ ५८ ॥
mṛdaṃ siddhārthamātrāṃ vā taḍāgādyo vahiḥ kṣipet | tiṣṭatyabdaśataṃ svarge vimuktaḥ pāpakoṭibhiḥ || 58 ||
Si quelqu’un retire de l’étang et jette au dehors ne serait-ce qu’un peu de boue—fût-ce la mesure d’un grain de moutarde—il demeure au ciel cent ans, délivré de crores de péchés.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in a dharma-upadesha sequence)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It teaches that even a tiny act of public purification—cleaning a water source—carries great punya, leading to svarga and the destruction of vast sin (pāpa), emphasizing intention and service (seva) over scale.
While not explicitly naming bhakti, it promotes a bhakti-aligned ethic: serving what sustains life (water resources) as an offering to dharma, cultivating purity, humility, and welfare of beings—qualities supportive of Vishnu-bhakti.
It highlights ritual-practical dharma rather than a specific Vedanga: a concrete purification act (cleaning a taḍāga) functioning as prayāścitta and punya-karman within smārta-style conduct.