Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 32
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā
Gaṅgāmāhātmya
यथा सर्वगतो विष्णुर्जगव्द्याप्य प्रतिष्टितः । तथेयं व्यापिनी गङ्गा सर्वपापप्रणाशिनी ॥ ३२ ॥
yathā sarvagato viṣṇurjagavdyāpya pratiṣṭitaḥ | tatheyaṃ vyāpinī gaṅgā sarvapāpapraṇāśinī || 32 ||
جیسے سَروَویَاپی وِشنو سارے جگت میں پھیل کر قائم ہے، ویسے ہی یہ گنگا بھی ہر سو پھیلی ہوئی ہے اور تمام پاپوں کو نَشٹ کرنے والی ہے۔
Sanatkumāra (teaching Nārada in dialogue form)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It equates Gaṅgā’s purifying presence with Viṣṇu’s all-pervasiveness, presenting the river as a universally accessible means of pāpa-kṣaya (destruction of sin) rooted in divine sanctity.
By linking Gaṅgā directly to Viṣṇu’s cosmic presence, it encourages devotional reverence to the tīrtha as an extension of Viṣṇu-bhakti—approaching Gaṅgā with faith becomes a devotional act aligned with purification and surrender.
No specific Vedāṅga technicality is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is tīrtha-dharma—purificatory practice (snāna, ācamana, japa) undertaken with proper intention and scriptural reverence.