Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 7
गङ्गामाहात्म्य — The Greatness of the Gaṅgā
ज्ञानाज्ञानकृतं पापं यच्चान्यत्कारितं परैः । तत्सर्वं नाशयत्याशु परिचर्या महात्मनाम् ॥ ७ ॥
jñānājñānakṛtaṃ pāpaṃ yaccānyatkāritaṃ paraiḥ | tatsarvaṃ nāśayatyāśu paricaryā mahātmanām || 7 ||
جان بوجھ کر یا بے خبری میں کیا گیا گناہ، اور وہ دوسرے قصور بھی جو دوسروں کے ذریعے کرائے گئے ہوں—مہاتماؤں کی بھکتی بھری خدمت ان سب کو فوراً مٹا دیتی ہے۔
Narada (teaching within the Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It teaches that sincere service to realized, great-souled saints (mahātmanām paricaryā) functions as a powerful purifier, swiftly removing karmic demerit accumulated knowingly, unknowingly, or even through indirect involvement.
By emphasizing paricaryā—humble attendance and service to saintly devotees—as a direct support to bhakti, since serving the holy strengthens devotion, corrects conduct, and cleanses obstacles (pāpa) that block remembrance of the Divine.
Rather than a technical Vedanga topic (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa), the verse highlights practical dharma: a living form of prāyaścitta (atonement) through sādhūnām-sevā (service to saints), stressing conduct and purification over mere ritual formalism.