Narada Purana · Chapter 1.6

iti śrībṛhannāradīyapurāṇe pūrvabhāge prathamapāde mārkaṇḍeyavarṇanaṃ nāma pañcamo 'dhyāyaḥ
sūta uvāca
bhagavadbhaktimāhātmyaṃ śrutvā prītastu nāradaḥ /
punaḥ papraccha sanakaṃ jñānavijñānapāragam

nārada uvāca
kṣetrāṇāmuttamaṃ kṣetraṃ tīrthānāṃ ca tathottamam /
parayā dayayā tathavaṃ brūhiṃ śāstrārthapāraga

sanaka uvāca
śuṇu brahmantaraṃ guhyaṃ sarvasaṃpatkaraṃ param /
duḥsvanpanāśanaṃ puṇyaṃ dharmyaṃ pāpaharaṃ śubham

śrotavyaṃ munibhirnityaṃ duṣṭagrahanivāraṇam /
sarvarogapraśamanamāyurvardhdanakāraṇam

kṣetrāṇāmuttamaṃ kṣetraṃ tīrthānāṃ ca tathottamam /
gaṅgāyamunayoryogaṃ vadanti paramarṣayaḥ

sitāsitodakaṃ tīrthaṃ brahmādyāḥ sarvadevatāḥ /
munayo manavaścaiva sevante puṇyakāṅkṣiṇaḥ

gaṅgā puṇyanadī jñeyā yato viṣṇupadodbhavā /
ravijā yamunā brahmaṃstayoryogaḥ śubhāvahaḥ

smṛtārtināśinī gaṅgā nadīnāṃ pravarā mune /
sarvapāpakṣayakarī sarvopadra vanāśinī

yāni kṣetrāṇi puṇyāni samudrānte mahītale /
teṣāṃ puṇyatamaṃ jñeyaṃ prayāgākhyaṃ mahāmune

iyāja vedhā yajñena yatra devaṃ ramāpatim /
tathaiva munayaḥ sarve cakraśca vividhānmakhān

sarvatīrthābhiṣekāṇi yāni puṇyāni tāni vai /
gaṅgābindvabhiṣekasya kalāṃ nārhanti ṣoḍaśīm

gaṅgā gaṅgeti yo brūyādyojanānāṃ śate sthitaḥ /
so 'pi mucyeta pāpebhyaḥ kimu gaṅgābhiṣekavān

viṣṇupādodbhavā devī viśveśvaraśiraḥ sthitā /
saṃsevyā munibhirdevaḥ kiṃ punaḥ pāmarairjanai

yatsaikataṃ lalāṭe tu dhriyate manujottamaiḥ /
tatraiva netraṃ vijñeyaṃ vidhyarddhādhaḥ samujjvalat

yanmajjana mahāpuṇyaṃ durlabhaṃ tridivaukasām /
sārupyadāyakaṃ viṣṇoḥ kimasmātkathyate parama

yatra strātāḥ pāpino 'pi sarvapāpavivarjitāḥ /
mahadvimānamāruḍhāḥ prayānti paramaṃ padam

yatra snātā mahātmānaḥ pitṛmātṛkulāni vai /
sahasrāṇi samuddhṛtya viṣṇuloke vrajanti vai

sa snātaḥ sarvatīrtheṣu yo gaṅgāṃ smarati dvica /
puṇyakṣetreṣu sarveṣau sthitavānnātra saṃśayaḥ

yatra snātaṃ naraṃ dṛṣṭvā pāpo 'pi svargabhūmibhāk /
madaṅgasparśemātreṇa devānāmādhapo bhavet

tulasīmūlasaṃbhūtā dvijapādodbhāvā tathā /
gaṅgodbhavā tu mṛllokānnayatyacyutarupatām

gaṅgā ca tulasī caiva haribhaktiracañcalā /
atyantadurllabhā nṝṇāṃ bhaktirddharmapravaktari

saddharmavaktuḥ padasaṃbhavāṃ mṛdaṃ gaṅgodbhavāṃ caiva tathā tulasyāḥ /
mūlodbhavāṃ bhaktiyuto manuṣyo dhṛtvā śirasyeti padaṃ ca viṣṇoḥ

kadā yāsyāmyahaṃ gaṅgāṃ kadā paśyāmi tāmaham /
vāñcchatyapi ca yo hyevaṃ so 'pi viṣṇupadaṃ vrajet

gaṅgāyā mahimā brahmanvaktuṃ varṣaśatairapi /
na śakyate viṣṇunāpi kimanyairbahubhāṣitaiḥ

aho māyā jagatsarvaṃ mohayatyetadadbhutam /
yato vai narakaṃ yānti gaṅgānātri sthite 'pi hi

saṃsāraduḥkha vicchedi gaṅgānāma prakīrtitam /
tathā tulasyā bhaktiśca harikīrtipravaktari

sakṛdapyuccaredyastu gaṅgetyevākṣaradvayam /
sarvapāpavinirmukto viṣṇulokaṃ sa gacchati

yojanatritayaṃ yastu gaṅgāyāmadhigacchati /
sarvapāpavinirmuktaḥ sūryalokaṃ sameti hi

seyaṃ gaṅgā mahāpuṇyā nadī bhaktyā niṣevitā /
meṣataulimṛgākarṣu pāvayatyakhilaṃ jagat

godāvarī bhīmarathī kṛṣṇā revā sarasvatī /
tuṅgabhadrā ca kāverī kāliṃndī bāhudā tathā

vetravatī tāmraparṇī sarayūśca dvijottama /
evamādiṣu tīrtheṣu gaṅgā mukhyatamā smṛtā

yathā sarvagato viṣṇurjagavdyāpya pratiṣṭitaḥ /
tatheyaṃ vyāpinī gaṅgā sarvapāpapraṇāśinī

aho gaṅgā jagaddhātrī snānapānādibhirjagat /
punāti pāvanītyeṣā na kathaṃ sevyate nṛbhiḥ

tīrthānāmuttamaṃ tīrthaṃ kṣetrāṇāṃ kṣetramuttamam /
vārāṇasīti vikhyātaṃ sarvadevaniṣevitam

te eva śravaṇe dhanye saṃvidāte bahuśrutam /
iha śrutimatāṃ puṃsāṃ kāśī yābhyāṃ śrutāsakṛt

ye yaṃ smaranti saṃsthānamavimuktaṃ dvijottamam /
nirdhūtasarvapāpāste śivalokaṃ vrajanti vai

yojanānāṃ śatastho 'pi avimuktaṃ smaredyadi /
bahupātakapūrṇo 'pi padaṃ gacchatyanāmayam

prāṇaprayāṇasamaye yo 'vimuktaṃ smaredvūja /
so 'pi pāpavinirmuktaḥ śaivaṃ padamavānpuyāt

kāśīsmaraṇajaṃ puṇyaṃ bhuktvā svarge tadantataḥ /
pṛthivyāmekarāḍū bhūtvā kāśīṃ prāpya ca muktibhāk

bahunātra kimuktena vārāṇasyā guṇānprati /
nāmāpi gṛhṇātāṃ kāśyāścaturvargo na dūrataḥ

gaṅgāyamunayoryogo 'dhikaḥ kāśyā api dvijā /
yasya darśanamātreṇa narā yānti parāṃ gatim

makarasthe ravau gaṅgā yatra kutrāvagāhitā /
punāti strānapānādyairnayantīndrapuraṃ jagat

yo gaṅgāṃ bhajate nityaṃ śaṅkaro lokaśaṅkaraḥ /
liṅgarupīṃ kathaṃ tasyā mahimā parikīrtyate

harirupadharaṃ liṅgaṃ liṅgarupadharo hariḥ /
īṣadapyantaraṃ nāsti bhedakṛccānayoḥ kudhīḥ

anādinidhane deve hariśaṅkarasaṃjñite /
ajñānasāgare magnā bhedaṃ kurvanti pāpinaḥ

yo devo jagatāmaśaḥ kāraṇānāṃ ca kāraṇam /
yugānte nigadantyetadrudrarupadharo hariḥ

rudro vai viṣṇurupeṇa pālayatyakhilañjagat /
brahmarupeṇa sṛjati prānteḥ hayetatrayaṃ haraḥ

hariśaṅkarayormadhye brahmaṇaścāpi yo naraḥ /
bhedaṃ karoti so 'bhyeti narakaṃ bhṛśadāruṇam

haraṃ hariṃ vidhātāraṃ yaḥ paśyatyekarupiṇam /
sa yāti paraṃmānandaṃ śāstrāṇāmeṣa viṣvayaḥ

yo 'sāvanādiḥ sarvajño jagatāmādikṛdvibhuḥ /
nityaṃ saṃnihitastatra liṅgarupī janārdanaḥ

kāśīviśveśvaraṃ liṅgajyotirliṅgaṃ taducyate /
taṃ dṛṣṭvā paramaṃ jyotirāproti manujottamaḥ

kāśīpradakṣiṇā yena kṛtā trailokyapāvanī /
satpadvīpāsābdhiśailā bhūḥ parikramitāmunā

dhātumṛddārapāṣāṇalekhyādyā mūrtayo 'malāḥ /
śivasya vācyutasyāpi tāsu saṃnihito hariḥ

tulasīkānanaṃ yatra yatra pahmavanaṃ dvijā /
purāṇapaṭhanaṃ yatra yatra saṃnihito hariḥ

purāṇasaṃhitāvaktā harirityabhidhīyate /
tadbhaktiṃ kurvatāṃ nṝṇāṃ gaṅgāstrānāṃ dine dine

purāṇaśravaṇe bhaktirgaṅgāstrānasamā dvija /
tadvaktari ca yā bhaktiḥ sā prayāgopamā smṛtā

purāṇadharmakathanairyaḥ samuddharate jagat /
saṃsārasāgare magnaṃ sa hariḥ parikīrtitaḥ

nāsti gaṅgāsamaṃ tīrthaṃ nāsti mātṛsamo guruḥ /
nāsti viṣṇusamaṃ daivaṃ nāsti tattvaṃ guroḥ param

varṇānāṃ brāhmaṇaḥ śreṣṭhastārakāṇāṃ yathā śaśī /
yathā payodhiḥ sindhūnāṃ tathā gaṅgā parā smṛtā

nāsti śāntisamo bandhurnāsti satyātparaṃ tapaḥ /
nāsti mokṣātparo lābho nāsti gaṅgāsamā nadī

gaṅgāyāḥ paramaṃ nāma pāpāraṇyadavānalaḥ /
bhavavyādhiharā gaṅgā tasmātsevyā prayantataḥ

gāyatrī jāhnavī cobhe sarvapāpahare smṛte /
etayorbhaktihīno yastaṃ vidyātpatitaṃ dvija

gāyatrī chandasāṃ mātā mātā lokasya jāhnavī /
ubhe te sarvapāpānāṃ nāśakāraṇatāṃ gate

yasya prasannā gāyatrī tasya gaṅgā prasīdati /
viṣṇuśaktiyute te dve samakāmaprasiddhede

dharmārthakāmarupāṇāṃ phalarupe nirañjane /
sarvalokānugrahārthaṃ pravartete mahottame

atīva durllabhā nṝṇāṃ gāyatrī jāhnavī tathā /
tathaiva tulasībhaktirharibhaktiśca sāttvikī

aho gaṅgā mahābhāgā smṛtā pāpapraṇāśinī /
harilokapradā dṛṣṭā pītā sārupyadāyinī /
yatra strātā narā yānti viṣṇoḥ padamanuttamam

nārāyaṇo jagaddhātā vāsudevaḥ sanātanaḥ /
gaṅgāstrānaparāṇāṃ tu vāñchitārthaphalapradaḥ

gaṅgājalakaraṇenāpi yaḥ sikto manujottamaḥ /
sarvapāpavinirmuktaḥ prayāti paramaṃ padam

yadvindusevanādeva sagarānvayasambhavaḥ /
visṛjyarākṣasaṃ bhāvaṃ saṃprātpaḥ paramaṃ padam