Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 96
Dharma-ākhyāna (Discourse on Dharma): Worthy Charity, Fruitless Gifts, and the Merit of Building Ponds
यो नरः श्रद्धयो युक्तो व्याख्यातं श्रुणुयात्पठेत् । सोऽप्याप्नोत्यखिलं पुण्यं सरोनिर्माणसंभवम् ॥ ९७ ॥
yo naraḥ śraddhayo yukto vyākhyātaṃ śruṇuyātpaṭhet | so'pyāpnotyakhilaṃ puṇyaṃ saronirmāṇasaṃbhavam || 97 ||
Quiconque, animé de foi, écoute ou récite cet exposé, obtient lui aussi l’intégralité du mérite né de la construction d’un lac sacré (réservoir).
Suta (narrating the teaching within the Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It declares that faithful listening (śravaṇa) or recitation (pāṭha) of the teaching yields full dharmic merit, equated to a major public-benefit pious act—constructing a sacred reservoir.
By emphasizing śraddhā (faith) and śravaṇa/pāṭha, it highlights a core bhakti method: devotion grows through attentive hearing and repetition of sacred instruction, which itself becomes spiritually fruitful.
It primarily underscores the practice of pāṭha (disciplined recitation) and śravaṇa (formal listening), which align with śikṣā (phonetics/recitation discipline) as a practical foundation for preserving and transmitting sacred texts.