Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 56
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā
Gaṅgāmāhātmya
पुराणश्रवणे भक्तिर्गङ्गास्नानसमा द्विज । तद्वक्तरि च या भक्तिः सा प्रयागोपमा स्मृता ॥ ५६ ॥
purāṇaśravaṇe bhaktirgaṅgāsnānasamā dvija | tadvaktari ca yā bhaktiḥ sā prayāgopamā smṛtā || 56 ||
اے دْوِج! پوران سننے سے جو بھکتی پیدا ہوتی ہے وہ گنگا اسنان کے برابر مانی گئی ہے؛ اور اس پوران کے واعظ کے لیے جو بھکتی ہے وہ پریاگ کے مانند یاد کی گئی ہے۔
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It equates Purāṇa-śravaṇa (devotional listening) with major tīrtha-merit, teaching that sincere hearing of sacred lore is itself a powerful purifier like Gaṅgā-snāna, and honoring the expounder carries exceptionally high sanctity like Prayāga.
It frames bhakti as an active practice expressed through attentive listening (śravaṇa) and reverence for the teacher (vaktṛ-bhakti), showing that devotion grows through katha, satsanga, and respectful receptivity to dharma-teachings.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught directly; the practical takeaway is dharmic conduct in learning—śravaṇa as a discipline and proper ācāra toward the katha-vaktā (teacher/reciter).