There are many versions of stories regarding the origin of Ganges. According
to the Valmiki Ramayana Ganges was the daughter of
Himalaya and Maina.
The deities abducted her and took her to heaven. From that time onwards, Ganga
started living inside
the Karmandala(a spout shoped vessel).
According to Kritivas Ramayana the deities had taken Ganga
to Lord Shiva to get her
married with him. When Maina did not find her in the
house, she cursed Ganga to attain the form of water.
Once upon a time,
a famous King of Surya Vamsa by name Sakaran was ruling his Kingdom with his
two wives . Kesini had a son Asamanjan by name, while Sumathi had sixty
thousand sons. Asamanjan's son was Amsuman. Sakaran once started performing the
Ashwamedha Yaga. While the Yaga was being performed, Lord Indra stole the
horse, took it to the nether world and tied it to a post where Sage Kapila was
doing penance. The sixty thousand sons of Sakaran who came in search of the
horse saw it near sage Kapila, and started attacking the sage, thinking that he
was the culprit. The sage enraged at their insolent behaviour, burnt them into
ashes.
Sakaran when his
sons did not return with the horse, sent his Grandson Amsuman in search of
them. Amsuman found the Horse in the nether world and felt anguished when he
saw the sons of Sakaran in the form of ashes. Then he went in search of water
to perform the final rites but Lord Garuda appeared before him and told him
that it would not be enough if ordinary water was used for the ceremony and that
the holy water of Ganga in Heaven should be used for them to attain Moksha. He
then advised him to finish the Yaga first and then start making efforts to
bring Ganga down to Earth from Heaven. Amsuman took the horse and informed
Sakaran about what had happened. Sakaran accordingly finished the Yaga, ruled
his Kingdom for a long time and went to Heaven.
Meanwhile Amsuman
and his son Dhilipan's efforts to bring Ganga to Earth failed and after them
Dhilipan's son Bhagirath handed over the Kingdom to his ministers, went to the
forest to do penance .He did 'Panchagni Thavam' and controlled all his senses
once a month.
With the
permission and blessing of sage Bhrigu, king Bhagirath started his penance. He
continued his penance for sixty thousand years at length in an enchanting place
Naandeshwar in Himalayas. Seeing his severe penance, and perplexed by its
radiance, all the gods appeared before Lord Vishnu in Ksheersagar.
Pleased by the gods prayers, Lord Vishnu instinctively learnt about the motive
of the gods. He assured them to be fearless and Himself appeared before
Bhagirath. Bhagirath greeted Shri Hari.
Lord Vishnu says: "Your desires shall be fulfilled. Your ancestors shall
attain to my abode. But now go and pray Lord Shiva with your full capacity. He
will definitely benefit you." Saying this, Lord Vishnu disappeared. The
king stood there for some time wondering whether it was all a dream when an
invisible voice announced,
it was not a dream O king!
It is reality. Do as Lord Vishnu has said.
Parvati convinced Shiva to receive the powerful torrents unleashed
by the tempestuous goddess on his head and divide the fall of the waters into a
myriad of streams through his hair. After which, it was relatively easy to
guide the river to the centre of the earth, revive the 60,000 and lead Ganga to
the ocean.
Finally, Lord
Shiva before whom the three worlds bow, appeared before Bhagiratha, pleased by
his devotion and prayers, Lord Shiva blessed and expressed his happiness over
his penance .Bhagiratha pleased Lord Shiva and requested him to
hold her (Ganga)in his Jata (hairs).
Lord Shiva accepted it
and did the same as requested. He released Ganga on earth, as a result of which
Ganga was subdivided into seven streams
1) Dwadini, 2) Pavani 3) Nalini flew towards the east 4) Vakshu, 5)
Sita, 6) Sindhu flew towards the west and the seventh stream followed the
route, as instructed by Bhagiratha, and hence was called 7) Bhagirathi..
The Ganges reached
Gangasagar at the hermitage of sage Kapil where the ashes of Bhagirath's
ancestors were lying unattended. As soon as the holy waters of the Ganges
touched the ashes, Bhagirath's ancestors got freed from
the noose of Yama and ascended to their heavenly abode.
Ganga
followed Bhagirath who was on his chariot. Because of her tremendous speed, all
the villages, Forests, etc in the way were either getting submerged or drowned.
Sage Jahnu who was doing a yagya in his hermitage got angry when his hermitage
was submerged in the Ganga. He drank whole of the Ganga by his yogic power. At
this the deities, and the men became restless and they requested Jahnu to
release Ganga.
Jahnu released Ganga from his
thigh by cutting it and for this reason Ganga is also called 'Jahnavi' or
'Jahnusta'.
The story of the descent of the Ganga is told in the stone of
Mahaballipuram, near Madras, on the south eastern coast. The astonishing
exuberance of the sculptor is revealed in the countless statues in relief of
gods and goddesses, monsters and angels, snakes, water nymphs, and a veritable
Ark of animals that crowd the rock to watch Ganga flow through Shiva's hair
while, Kapila remains serene in his meditation.
Filtered through Shiva's divine hair, the Ganga comes from the adobe of
the gods bearing all the reviving powers of the universe. Temple cities border
her course, the most important being Varanasi. Here, at dawn, hundreds of
pilgrims await that special eternal moment when Indra, the king of the Gods,
source of life, unites with the sacred, purifying, reanimating waters of Ganga.
|
| |
| | | | | | |
