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PERCEPTIONS
GANGA
Eternal India
encyclopedia
imam me gange yamune
saraswathi shuthudri stomam
sachathaa parushnayaa;
asiknyaa marudhrudhe
vithasthayaarjeekeeye shrunuhya
sushomayaa.
Mother Ganga
Oh Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswathi, follow my hymn,
shutudri with the parushni. Listen to me, with
asikni,
Maruvridha
with
Vitasta,
arjikiya
with
sushoma.
Rig Veda
X. 75.5 (Frawley)
In India the Ganges is the most holy and
most revered of all the rivers. She is per-
sonified as the Goddess Ganga. A river of
celestial origin, she flows from heaven, from
the feet of Lord Vishnu himself and is called
Vishnupadi. She comes down on the Hima-
layas, flows on it and then flows to the
netherworld as Pataliganga. She is also
called Hemavathi or 'daughter of Himavan'.
Since she traverses all the three worlds-
heaven, earth and the netherworld-she is
called Tripathaga. There is a legend accord-
ing to which she descended from heaven
onto the head of Shiva in response to the
prayer of king Bhagiratha. She is hence
called 'Bhagirathi' (daughter of Bhagira-
tha). Ganga was angry at being brought
down from heaven and Shiva, to save the
earth from the shock of her fall, caught the
river on his elbow and checked its course
with his matted locks. From this action,
Shiva is called Gangadhara, ‘upholder of the
Ganga’. After she was released, she fol-
lowed Bhagiratha as he led her to purify the
ashes of his ancestors. The descent of the
Ganga disturbed the sage Jahnu as he was
performing a sacrifice and in his anger he
drank up the waters but he relented and al-
lowed the river to flow from his ear, hence it
is known as Jahnavi, the daughter of Jahnu.
Every temple in India has its entrance
guarded by a representation of the river
Ganges in human form. One of the most
beautiful portrayals of Ganga and Yamuna
flanking a doorway is at a Gupta temple in
Dah Parvatiya in Assam.
Ganga has since time immemorial been
associated with purity and holiness. A bath
in her waters is considered to purify the
soul. The sanctity is greater at a sacred
confluence like Prayag. Another legend
says that the waters of the Ganges flow into
every river in India at a certain time each
year. These rivers then become as pure and
holy as the Ganges herself.
The main headwater of the Ganga is the
Bhaagirathi which has its source at
Gaumukh, an ice-cave in the Himalayas,
4000m above sea-level, beneath a glacier
7000m above sea-level in the Garhwal dis-
trict of Uttar Pradesh. Sweeping westwards
for 35 km from its source, the Bhagirathi
turns south, cuts through the Great Hima-
laya in a deep valley and flowing for another
140 km through the lesser Himalaya, re-
ceives another principal affluent, the Ala-
laknanda, at Devaprayag. The Alaknanda
rises from a glacial snout of the Alakapuri
glacier, just behind Badrinath town. At
Rudraprayag it meets the south-flowing
Mandakini. The combined rivers take the
name of Ganga. Flowing south for 70 km
the Ganga descends to the plains at Hard-
war.
Emerging out of the Himalayas near
Hardwar the Ganga flows eastward for
1200 km, then flanks the eastern face of the
Rajmahal hills. Near Dhrlian the waters
divide. One branch flows into East Paki-
stan, the other flows through Indian terri-
tory under the name of Hooghly and enters
the Bay of Bengal at the Southern tip of
Sagar island.
The Ganga receives two important tribu-
taries on its right bank, the Yamuna and the
Son, and three on its left bank, the Gh-
aghara, the Gandak and the Kosi. The
Yamuna flows for 800 km parallel to the
Ganga and joins it at Allahabad. The mythi-
cal Saraswati is believed to flow under-
ground and join the Ganga at its confluence
with the Yamuna at Allahabad. The conflu-
ence of the three rivers (
Triveni
) is a sacred
spot for Hindus.
Personified as a goddess Ganga is the
eldest daughter of Himavat and Mena. Her
sister is Uma.
These days dwell I in a foreign land,
missing the Ganga and silvery sand.
Holding within my sacred bosom,
Thy blessings, grace, and ancient wisdom.
— Swami Rama
—
“LoveWispers”