Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 13
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā
Gaṅgāmāhātmya
विष्णुपादोद्भवा देवी विश्वेश्वरशिरः स्थिता । संसेव्या मुनिभिर्देवः किं पुनः पामरैर्जनै ॥ १३ ॥
viṣṇupādodbhavā devī viśveśvaraśiraḥ sthitā | saṃsevyā munibhirdevaḥ kiṃ punaḥ pāmarairjanai || 13 ||
اے دیوی! جو وِشنو کے پاؤں سے اُبھری اور وِشوَیشور کے سر پر قائم ہے، وہ مُنیوں کے ذریعہ بھی سَیوِت ہے؛ پھر عام لوگوں کو تو بدرجۂ اَولیٰ اس کی تعظیم کرنی چاہیے۔
Sanatkumāra (one of the Kumāras), instructing Nārada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
The verse establishes Gaṅgā’s supreme sanctity: she is Viṣṇu-pādodbhavā (issuing from Viṣṇu’s feet) and honored even by Viśveśvara (Śiva), so her worship and association are presented as universally purifying and dharmic.
It teaches reverence through hierarchical praise: if realized sages serve her, ordinary devotees should do so with even greater humility—turning sacred service (sevanā) into a practical form of bhakti connected to Viṣṇu and the holy tīrtha tradition.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught directly; the practical takeaway is tīrtha-dharma—serving and honoring a sanctified river (Gaṅgā) as a purificatory religious practice endorsed by the Purāṇic tradition.