Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 145
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā (Gaṅgā-māhātmya): Saudāsa/Kalmāṣapāda’s Curse and Release
नैतच्चित्रं द्विजश्रेष्ट विष्णोर्वाराणसीगुणान् । गृणञ्छृण्वन्स्मरन्गङ्गां पीत्वा मुक्तो भवेन्नरः ॥ ४५ ॥
naitaccitraṃ dvijaśreṣṭa viṣṇorvārāṇasīguṇān | gṛṇañchṛṇvansmarangaṅgāṃ pītvā mukto bhavennaraḥ || 45 ||
హే ద్విజశ్రేష్ఠా, ఇది ఆశ్చర్యం కాదు; వారాణసిలో విష్ణువు గుణాలను కీర్తిస్తూ, వింటూ, స్మరిస్తూ, గంగాజలాన్ని పానంచేస్తే మనిషి విముక్తుడవుతాడు।
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It states that liberation is natural (not surprising) for one who engages in Viṣṇu-centered devotion—praise, hearing, and remembrance—especially in Vārāṇasī, and who partakes of the sanctifying Gaṅgā water.
It highlights the core bhakti triad—kīrtana (praising), śravaṇa (hearing), and smaraṇa (remembering)—as direct means to mokṣa when focused on Viṣṇu’s glories, supported by sacred place association (tīrtha-māhātmya).
No specific Vedāṅga technical discipline is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is ritual-tīrtha practice (tīrtha-sevana) aligned with bhakti—listening/recitation and reverent use of Gaṅgā water as a purifier within dharma.