Ganga - Bulbul Sharma

Ganga, rising from the snowy Himalayas and flowing down many miles into the Bay of Bengal, is considered to be one of the most important rivers of India. A subject of many myths, hymns, folk tales, popular songs and old sculpture panels, she is accorded the status of a goddess and is mentioned in many Puranas and in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Her divine origin endows her waters with the powers of cleansing all sins from the past, present and the future. During various auspicious days, thousands of people bathe in her waters in the holy cities like Haridwar, Rishikesh, Prayag and Varanasi. On her banks, the Kumbh Mela, considered to be the largest gathering of people in the world, is held where pilgrims offer prayers to the river. Most devout Hindus make the journey to the Ganga to scatter the ashes of relatives who have died, in the hope that the Ganga will absolve their spirits and make their journey to heaven easier.

The Mahabharata describes the virtues of Ganga with these words: "If after death, the bones of the dead are deposited in Ganga the departed will attain heaven. Even if one has sinned throughout his life he would attain Vishnupada (heaven) if he worshipped Ganga. Bathing in the Ganga is as beneficial as performing a hundred yagnas. As long as the bones of one remains in the waters of the Ganga so long will he occupy an honorable seat in heaven. He who has come in contact with its water will shine forth as the sun, devoid of all darkness. Places which are not favored by its waters will become barren like night without the moon and trees without flowers. Ganga water is more than enough to satisfy living things in all the three worlds." The Agni Purana too describes the greatness of the river: "Through whatever places the Ganga flows those places become sublime and sacred. Ganga is the refuge of all created beings who aspire for the final good." The heavenly Ganga is depicted in art as white in color, and holding a lotus flower and a pot in her hands, she rests on a fish-like creature called the makaramatsya. Her image is often placed on temple doorways along with Jamuna.

© "The Book of Devi" by Bulbul Sharma, published by Penguin Books India (P) Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110 017. Reprinted with permission.

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