Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 12
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā
Gaṅgāmāhātmya
गङ्गा गङ्गेति यो ब्रूयाद्योजनानां शते स्थितः । सोऽपि मुच्येत पापेभ्यः किमु गङ्गाभिषेकवान् ॥ १२ ॥
gaṅgā gaṅgeti yo brūyādyojanānāṃ śate sthitaḥ | so'pi mucyeta pāpebhyaḥ kimu gaṅgābhiṣekavān || 12 ||
جو شخص سو یوجن دور رہ کر بھی ‘گنگا، گنگا’ کہہ دے وہ بھی گناہوں سے چھوٹ جاتا ہے؛ پھر جو گنگا جل سے اَبھِشیک یا اسنان کرے، اس کی تو کیا ہی بات ہے۔
Narada (within the Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It teaches the extraordinary purifying power (pāpa-kṣaya) of Gaṅgā: even remembrance and utterance of her name from afar grants release from sin, while actual contact through bathing is presented as even more potent.
By valuing sincere nāma-smaraṇa (name-remembrance) as spiritually effective, it aligns purification with devotional orientation—faithful utterance of a sacred name is itself a bhakti-act that draws grace and merit.
It reflects kalpa-style ritual pragmatics: tirtha-snāna (holy bathing) and japa/uccāraṇa (repetitive sacred utterance) as applied means for śuddhi (purification) and pāpa-nivṛtti (cessation of sin).