Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 54
Dharma-ākhyāna (Discourse on Dharma): Worthy Charity, Fruitless Gifts, and the Merit of Building Ponds
एकश्चेदध्वगो राजंस्तडागस्य जलं पिबेत् । कत्कर्तुः सर्वपापानि नश्यन्त्येव न संशयः ॥ ५५ ॥
ekaścedadhvago rājaṃstaḍāgasya jalaṃ pibet | katkartuḥ sarvapāpāni naśyantyeva na saṃśayaḥ || 55 ||
اے بہترین بادشاہ، اگر ایک بھی مسافر تالاب کا پانی پی لے تو جس نے وہ تالاب بنوایا اس کے تمام گناہ یقیناً مٹ جاتے ہیں—اس میں کوئی شک نہیں۔
Narada (teaching a king within the dialogue tradition)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It elevates public welfare (making water available to travelers) as a powerful dharmic act whose merit functions as expiation (prāyaścitta), destroying the donor’s sins through the benefit given to others.
While not explicitly naming Vishnu-bhakti here, it reflects bhakti’s ethic of selfless service (paropakāra): supporting living beings with essentials like water is treated as spiritually purifying and merit-generating.
It primarily teaches Dharma and dāna rather than a specific Vedāṅga; the practical takeaway is the ritual-ethical principle that lasting public utilities (like ponds) are superior forms of charity due to continuous benefit.