The Greatness of the Gaṅgā (Gaṅgā-māhātmya): Saudāsa/Kalmāṣapāda’s Curse and Release
नामश्रवणमात्रेण राक्षसा अपि भो वयम् । परां शान्तिं समापन्ना महिम्ना ह्यच्युतस्य वै ॥ १८ ॥
nāmaśravaṇamātreṇa rākṣasā api bho vayam | parāṃ śāntiṃ samāpannā mahimnā hyacyutasya vai || 18 ||
Ô bậc hiền triết! Dẫu chúng tôi là loài Rākṣasa, chỉ nhờ nghe Danh Thánh mà đã đạt an lạc tối thượng, hoàn toàn do uy quang của Acyuta—Đấng Bất Thoái, Chúa Tể không hề suy chuyển.
Rākṣasas (speaking as beneficiaries of the Lord’s Name, within the Narada Purana narrative)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
It declares that mere śravaṇa (hearing) of the Lord’s Name can grant parā śānti (supreme peace), showing the Name’s purifying, liberating potency beyond birth or moral status.
It highlights śravaṇa—hearing the divine Name—as a direct and accessible limb of bhakti, where Acyuta’s mahimā (glory) itself transforms the listener and leads to inner peace.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa) is taught here; the practical takeaway is the bhakti-sādhana of nāma-śravaṇa as a daily discipline for mental steadiness and purification.