Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 40
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā
Gaṅgāmāhātmya
बहुनात्र किमुक्तेन वाराणस्या गुणान्प्रति । नामापि गृह्णातां काश्याश्चतुर्वर्गो न दूरतः ॥ ४० ॥
bahunātra kimuktena vārāṇasyā guṇānprati | nāmāpi gṛhṇātāṃ kāśyāścaturvargo na dūrataḥ || 40 ||
இங்கே வாராணசியின் சிறப்புகளை மிகையாகச் சொல்லி என்ன பயன்? காசியின் நாமத்தை மட்டும் எடுத்துரைப்போர்க்கும் தர்மம்-அர்த்தம்-காமம்-மோட்சம் எனும் நான்கு புருஷார்த்தங்களும் தூரமல்ல।
Narada (teaching in the Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It proclaims the exceptional sanctity of Kāśī/Varanasi: even mere remembrance or utterance of its name is said to quickly confer the full spectrum of human goals, culminating in mokṣa.
By emphasizing nāma-grahaṇa (taking the name), it aligns with bhakti’s core method—remembrance and reverent utterance—showing that sincere invocation of a sacred name/place draws divine grace and spiritual fulfillment.
The verse implicitly highlights the power of mantra-like recitation and correct verbal remembrance (linked to Śikṣā and Vyākaraṇa as disciplines of sound and words), stressing that even “nāma” (name) has spiritual efficacy.