Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 149

The Greatness of the Gaṅgā (Gaṅgā-māhātmya): Saudāsa/Kalmāṣapāda’s Curse and Release

Devanagari script

इति श्रीबृहन्नारदीयपुराणे पूर्वभागे प्रथमपादे गङ्गा माहात्म्ये नवमोऽध्यायः ॥ ९ ॥

Transliteration

iti śrībṛhannāradīyapurāṇe pūrvabhāge prathamapāde gaṅgā māhātmye navamo'dhyāyaḥ || 9 ||

Translation

ಇಂತೆ ಶ್ರೀಬೃಹನ್ನಾರದೀಯಪುರಾಣದ ಪೂರ್ವಭಾಗದ ಪ್ರಥಮಪಾದದಲ್ಲಿ “ಗಂಗಾಮಾಹಾತ್ಮ್ಯ” ಎಂಬ ಒಂಬತ್ತನೇ ಅಧ್ಯಾಯವು ಸಮಾಪ್ತಿಯಾಯಿತು.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समाप्त्यर्थक/closing particle

• श्री-बृहन्नारदीयपुराणे: in the venerable Bṛhannāradīya Purāṇa
• श्री-बृहन्नारदीयपुराणे: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location-context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + बृहन्नारदीयपुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular); समास: कर्मधारय (श्री-युक्तं बृहन्नारदीयपुराणम्)

• पूर्वभागे: in the first part
• पूर्वभागे: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location-context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्वभाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular); समास: कर्मधारय (पूर्वः भागः)

• प्रथमपादे: in the first pāda/section
• प्रथमपादे: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location-context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक) + पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular); समास: कर्मधारय (प्रथमः पादः)

• गङ्गा-माहात्म्ये: in (the section on) the greatness of Ganga
• गङ्गा-माहात्म्ये: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Topic-context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular); समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गङ्गायाः माहात्म्यम्)

• नवमः: ninth
• नवमः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नवम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular) (क्रमवाचक/ordinal)

• अध्यायः: chapter
• अध्यायः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्याय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Narrator/Redactor (Colophon)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: none

Characters & Entities

• Ganga
• Narada Purana

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

This is a colophon marking the formal completion of the Gaṅgā-māhātmya chapter, reinforcing the Purāṇic tradition of preserving textual integrity and highlighting the Gaṅgā’s status as a foremost tīrtha.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

Indirectly: by closing a chapter devoted to Gaṅgā’s greatness, it points devotees toward tīrtha-centered practices—reverence, remembrance, and sacred bathing—as supportive disciplines within broader Purāṇic bhakti.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedāṅga teaching is stated; the verse functions as a textual colophon (anukrama/closure marker) used for manuscript organization, recitation tracking, and chapter demarcation.