Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 128
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā (Gaṅgā-māhātmya): Saudāsa/Kalmāṣapāda’s Curse and Release
एषामपीद्दशी भक्तिर्गङ्गायां लोकमातरि । किमु ज्ञानप्रभावाणां महतां पुण्यशालिनाम् ॥ २८ ॥
eṣāmapīddaśī bhaktirgaṅgāyāṃ lokamātari | kimu jñānaprabhāvāṇāṃ mahatāṃ puṇyaśālinām || 28 ||
Si même de telles personnes portent une bhakti de cette sorte envers Gaṅgā, la Mère des mondes, que dire alors des grands êtres, riches de mérite, dont la puissance naît de la connaissance spirituelle ?
Narada (in instruction within the Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It elevates Gaṅgā-bhakti as a universally revered devotion: if ordinary people can hold such reverence for the world-mother Gaṅgā, then enlightened and highly meritorious sages will revere her even more—implying Gaṅgā as a potent support for purification and upliftment.
It presents bhakti as natural and scalable: devotion begins with faith and reverence, and becomes deeper and more refined in those endowed with jñāna (spiritual insight). Thus, knowledge does not replace devotion; it intensifies and ennobles it.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught directly; the practical takeaway is tirtha-oriented dharma—cultivating devotion and merit through sacred practices connected with Gaṅgā (e.g., respectful pilgrimage, स्नान/ स्नानम्, and disciplined conduct).