Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 59
गङ्गामाहात्म्य — The Greatness of the Gaṅgā
आत्मा शुद्धोऽपि देहस्थो देहीति प्रोच्यते बुधैः । तस्मादिदं वपुर्भूप पापमूलं न संशयः ॥ ५९ ॥
ātmā śuddho'pi dehastho dehīti procyate budhaiḥ | tasmādidaṃ vapurbhūpa pāpamūlaṃ na saṃśayaḥ || 59 ||
Bien que l’Ātman soit pur, lorsqu’il demeure dans le corps, les sages l’appellent « l’être incarné ». Ainsi, ô roi, ce corps est bien la racine du péché : il n’y a nul doute.
Sanatkumara (addressing a king in the dialogue frame)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It distinguishes the intrinsically pure Self from the “embodied” condition created by dwelling in and identifying with the body, teaching that bondage and sin arise from body-centered identity rather than from the Atman itself.
By diagnosing body-identification as the root of wrongdoing, it supports bhakti as a remedy: turning attention from the body and ego toward the Lord with humility and surrender, which purifies conduct and loosens karmic bondage.
No specific Vedanga (like Vyakarana, Jyotisha, or Kalpa) is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is ethical self-discipline—reducing deha-abhimana through restraint and contemplative knowledge aimed at moksha.