Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 6
Nārada’s Hymn to Viṣṇu
Nāradasya Viṣṇu-stavaḥ
एकदा मेरुशृङ्गं ते प्रस्थिताः ब्रह्मणः सभाम् । इष्टां मार्गेऽथ ददृशुः गंगां विष्णुपदीं द्विजाः ॥ ६ ॥
ekadā meruśṛṅgaṃ te prasthitāḥ brahmaṇaḥ sabhām | iṣṭāṃ mārge'tha dadṛśuḥ gaṃgāṃ viṣṇupadīṃ dvijāḥ || 6 ||
Un jour, ces sages deux-fois-nés partirent du sommet du Méru vers l’assemblée de Brahmā; et, sur la voie choisie, ils contemplèrent la Gaṅgā—Viṣṇupadī, le fleuve sacré de Viṣṇu lui-même.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It frames Gaṅgā not merely as a river but as Viṣṇupadī—sanctified by Viṣṇu—so her sight (darśana) on the sacred journey becomes an omen of purification and divine guidance on the way to Brahmā’s assembly.
By identifying Gaṅgā as Viṣṇu’s own, the verse subtly directs devotion toward Viṣṇu through reverence to his manifestations—holy rivers and tīrthas—teaching that bhakti can be practiced through sacred remembrance and pilgrimage-oriented reverence.
The verse primarily reflects tīrtha-dharma and sādhana through sacred geography rather than a specific Vedāṅga; practically, it supports the ritual principle that darśana and contact with a consecrated tīrtha like Gaṅgā are purificatory acts within smārta-paurāṇic practice.