Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 32
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā
Gaṅgāmāhātmya
यथा सर्वगतो विष्णुर्जगव्द्याप्य प्रतिष्टितः । तथेयं व्यापिनी गङ्गा सर्वपापप्रणाशिनी ॥ ३२ ॥
yathā sarvagato viṣṇurjagavdyāpya pratiṣṭitaḥ | tatheyaṃ vyāpinī gaṅgā sarvapāpapraṇāśinī || 32 ||
எவ்வாறு அனைத்திலும் நிறைந்த விஷ்ணு உலகமெங்கும் பரவி நிலைத்திருக்கிறாரோ, அவ்வாறே இந்த கங்கையும் எங்கும் பரவி எல்லாப் பாவங்களையும் அழிப்பவள்।
Sanatkumāra (teaching Nārada in dialogue form)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It equates Gaṅgā’s purifying presence with Viṣṇu’s all-pervasiveness, presenting the river as a universally accessible means of pāpa-kṣaya (destruction of sin) rooted in divine sanctity.
By linking Gaṅgā directly to Viṣṇu’s cosmic presence, it encourages devotional reverence to the tīrtha as an extension of Viṣṇu-bhakti—approaching Gaṅgā with faith becomes a devotional act aligned with purification and surrender.
No specific Vedāṅga technicality is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is tīrtha-dharma—purificatory practice (snāna, ācamana, japa) undertaken with proper intention and scriptural reverence.