Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 28
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā
Gaṅgāmāhātmya
योजनत्रितयं यस्तु गङ्गायामधिगच्छति । सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्तः सूर्यलोकं समेति हि ॥ २८ ॥
yojanatritayaṃ yastu gaṅgāyāmadhigacchati | sarvapāpavinirmuktaḥ sūryalokaṃ sameti hi || 28 ||
ഗംഗാതീരത്ത് മൂന്നു യോജന ദൂരം സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്നവൻ സർവ്വപാപങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നു വിമുക്തനായി തീർച്ചയായും സൂര്യലോകം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു।
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It presents the Gaṅgā as a supreme tīrtha where even the act of traveling along her banks becomes a purifying practice, leading to pāpa-kṣaya (removal of sin) and a higher post-mortem attainment (Sūryaloka).
Though it speaks in tīrtha terms, the underlying bhakti principle is reverent approach and service to a divine presence (Gaṅgā as sacred), where sincere engagement—yātrā and remembrance—functions as a devotional purifier.
The verse uses a traditional unit of distance (yojana), reflecting practical śāstric conventions used in pilgrimage manuals and sacred geography; it also implies ritual-practice logic (prayāścitta through tīrtha-yātrā) rather than a technical Vedāṅga like Vyākaraṇa.