Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 109

Bhāgīratha’s Bringing of the Gaṅgā

Devanagari script

यदा सम्प्लावितं भस्म सागराणां तु गङ्गया । तदैव नरके मग्ना उद्धृताश्च गतैनसः ॥ १०९ ॥

Transliteration

yadā samplāvitaṃ bhasma sāgarāṇāṃ tu gaṅgayā | tadaiva narake magnā uddhṛtāśca gatainasaḥ || 109 ||

Translation

当恒河（Gaṅgā）之水漫涌，洗净并圣化了娑伽罗诸子之灰烬之时，就在那一刻，沉沦地狱者被提拔出离，罪垢尽除。

Word by Word

• yadā: when
• yadā: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/temporal link)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb): 'when'

• samplāvitam: flooded/washed
• samplāvitam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samplāvita (कृदन्त; √plu/प्लु + सम्, caus./pass.)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'flooded/washed over'

• bhasma: ashes
• bhasma: Karta (कर्ता; passive-subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhasman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (subject of passive sense)

• sāgarāṇām: of the oceans
• sāgarāṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (genitive: 'of the oceans/sea(s)')

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/अन्वयार्थक: 'but/indeed'

• gaṅgayā: by the Ganga
• gaṅgayā: Karaṇa (करणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental: 'by/with the Ganga')

• tadā: then
• tadā: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय: 'then'

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle): 'just/indeed'

• narake: in hell
• narake: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (locative: 'in hell')

• magnāḥ: submerged
• magnāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: magna (कृदन्त; √maj/मज्ज्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle, active sense), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; 'submerged/sunk'

• uddhṛtāḥ: were rescued
• uddhṛtāḥ: Karta (कर्ता; passive-subject, with implied 'they were')
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uddhṛta (कृदन्त; ud-√hṛ/हृ)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; 'lifted out/rescued'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction): 'and'

• gata-enasaḥ: freed from sin
• gata-enasaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gata (कृदन्त; √gam/गम्) + enas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहिसमास (possessive): 'whose sin has gone'; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Sanatkumara

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta (wonder)

Secondary Rasa: karuna (compassion)

Characters & Entities

• Ganga
• Sagara (sons/descendants)

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It states the tirtha-mahima of Gaṅgā: contact with Gaṅgā water is presented as so purifying that even beings suffering in naraka are immediately uplifted and their sins are destroyed.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

By highlighting Gaṅgā’s salvific power, the verse supports Purāṇic bhakti culture where faith in sacred forms connected to Bhagavān—such as holy rivers—becomes a means of purification and spiritual upliftment.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It primarily reflects dharma and tirtha-vidhi (pilgrimage/ritual practice): using sanctified water in rites connected with ashes and ancestral upliftment; it is not a technical Vedāṅga exposition like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa in this specific verse.