Ganga (River Ganges)

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conversation between a Brahmana in the observance of the Sila and Unccha vows, O

Yudhishthira, and a Rishi crowned with ascetic success. Meeting with each other

and seated at their ease, the two began to converse on agreeable subjects

connected with the Vedas and the Upanishads. Towards the conclusion of the

discourse, the Brahmana in the observance of the Sila vow respectfully

addressed the Rishi crowned with success. Endued with intelligence, he put this

very question which thou, O Yudhishthira, hast put to me. The poor Brahmana

said: What countries, what provinces, what retreats, what mountains, and what

rivers should be regarded as the foremost in point of sanctity? Do thou

discourse to me on this. The Rishi crowned with success said: Those

countries, those provinces, those retreats, and those mountains, should be

regarded as the foremost in point of sanctity through which or by the side of

which that foremost of all rivers, viz., Bhagirathi (Ganga or Ganges) flows.

That end which a creature is capable of attaining by penances, by Brahmacharya

(practising celibacy), by sacrifice, or by practising renunciation, one is sure

to attain by only living by the side of the Bhagirathi (river Ganges) and

bathing in its sacred waters. Those creatures whose bodies have been sprinkled

with the sacred waters of Bhagirathi or whose bones have been laid in the

channel of that sacred stream, have not to fall away- from heaven at any time.

Those men, O learned Brahmana, who use the

waters of Bhagirathi (Ganga) in all their acts, surely ascend to heaven after

departing from this world. Even those men who, having committed diverse kinds

of sinful deeds in the first part of their lives, betake themselves in after

years to a residing by the side of Ganga, succeed in attaining to a very

superior end. Hundreds of sacrifices cannot produce that merit which men of

restrained souls are capable of acquiring by bathing in the sacred waters of

Ganga. A person is treated with respect and worshipped in heaven for as long a

period as his bones lie in the channel of the Ganga. Even as the Sun, when he

rises at the dawn of day, blazes forth in splendour, having dispelled the gloom

of night, after the same manner the person that has bathed in the waters of

Ganga is seen to shine in splendour, cleansed of all his sins. Those

countries and those points of the compass that are destitute of the sacred

waters of Ganga are like nights without the moon or like trees without flowers.

Verily, a world without Ganga is like the different orders and modes of life

when they are destitute of righteousness or like sacrifices without Soma.

Without doubt, countries and points of the compass that are without Ganga are

like the firmament without the Sun, or the Earth without mountains, or the

welkin without air. The entire body of creatures in the three worlds, if served

with the auspicious waters of Ganga, derive a pleasure, the like of which they

are incapable of deriving from any other source. He who drinks Ganga water that

has been heated by the Sun’s rays derives merit much greater than that which

attaches to the vow of subsisting upon the wheat or grains of other corn picked

up from cowdung. It cannot be said

whether the two are equal or not, viz., he who performs a thousand Chandrayana

rites for purifying his body and he who drinks the water of Ganga. It cannot be

said whether the two are equal or not, viz., one who stands for a thousand years

on one foot and one who lives for only a month by the side of Ganga. One who

lives permanently by the side of Ganga is superior in merit to one who stays

for ten thousand Yugas with head hanging downwards. As cotton, when it comes

into contact with fire, is burnt off without a remnant, even so the sins of the

person that has bathed in Ganga become consumed without a remnant. There is no

end superior to Ganga for those creatures who with hearts afflicted by sorrow,

seek to attain to ends that may dispel that sorrow of theirs.

Arial">As snakes become deprived of their poison at the very sight of Garuda

(eagle), even so one becomes cleansed of all one’s sins at the very sight of

the sacred stream of Ganga. They that are without good name and that are

addicted to deeds of sinfulness, have Ganga for their fame, their protection,

their means of rescue, their refuge or cover. Many wretches among men, who

become afflicted with diverse sins of a heinous nature, when they are about to

sink into hell, are rescued by Ganga in the next world (if, notwithstanding

their sins, they seek the aid of Ganga in their after-years). They, O foremost

of intelligent men, who plunge every day in the sacred waters of Ganga, become

the equals of great Munis and the very deities with Vasva at their head. Those

wretches among men that are destitute of humility or modesty of behaviour and

that are exceedingly sinful, become righteous and good, O Brahmana, by betaking

themselves to the side of Ganga. As Amrita (drink that

confers immortality) is to the deities, a Swadha (oblation offered to Pitris

during sacred fire ceremony) is to the Pitris, as Sudha is to the Nagas, even

so is Ganga water to human beings. As children afflicted with hunger solicit

their mothers for food, after the same manner do people desirous of their

highest good pay court to Ganga. As the region of the self-born Brahma is said

to be foremost of all places, even so is Ganga said to be foremost of all

rivers for those that desire to bathe. As the earth and the cow are said to be

the chief sustenance of the deities and other celestials, even so is Ganga the

chief sustenance of all living creatures.

FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> [Note: The deities are supported by the offerings made in

sacrifices. These offerings consist of the productions of the Earth and Ghee

(purified butter) produced (from milk) by the cow. The deities, therefore, are

said to be chiefly supported by the Earth and the Cow. The Asuras (demons), by

afflicting the Earth and killing cows, used to weaken the deities.] As the

deities support themselves upon the Amrita (drink of immortality) that occurs

in the Sun and the Moon and that is offered in diverse sacrifices, even so do

human beings support themselves upon Ganga water. One besmeared with the

sand taken from the shores of Ganga regards himself as a denizen of heaven,

adorned with celestial unguents. He who bears on his head the mud taken from

the banks of Ganga presents an effulgent aspect equal to that of the Sun

himself bent on dispelling the surrounding darkness. When that wind which is

moistened with the particles of Ganga-water touches one’s person, it cleanses

him immediately of every sin. A person afflicted by calamities and about to

sink under their weight, finds all his calamities dispelled by the joy, which

springs up in his heart at the sight of that sacred stream. By holding that

sacred stream,

touching it, and bathing in its waters, one rescues one’s ancestors to the

seventh generation. By the melody of the swans and kokas and other aquatic

fowls that play on her breast, Ganga challenges the very Gandharvas (celestial

singers and musicians) and by her high banks the very mountains on the Earth.

Beholding her surface teeming with swans and diverse other aquatic fowls, and

having banks adorned with pasturelands with cows grazing on them, Heaven

herself loses her pride. The high happiness, which one enjoys by a residence on

the banks of Ganga, can never be his who is residing even in heaven. I have no

doubt in this that the person who is afflicted with sins perpetrated in

speech and thought and overt act, becomes cleansed at the very sight of Ganga.

By holding that sacred stream, touching it, and bathing in its waters, one

rescues one’s ancestors to the seventh generation, one’s descendants to the

seventh generation, as also other ancestors and descendants. By hearing of

Ganga, by wishing to repair to that river, by drinking its waters, by touching

its waters, and by bathing in them a person rescues both his paternal and

maternal races. By seeing, touching, and drinking the waters of Ganga, or even

by applauding Ganga, hundreds and thousands of sinful men became cleansed of

all their sins. They who wish to make their birth, life and learning fruitful,

should repair to Ganga and gratify the Pitris and the deities by offering their

oblations of water (tarpan).

75pt">The merit that one earns by bathing in Ganga is such that the like of it

is incapable of being earned through the acquisition of sons or wealth or the

performance of meritorious acts. Those who, although possessed of the physical

ability, do not seek to have a sight of the auspicious Ganga of sacred current,

are, without doubt, to be likened to persons afflicted with congenital

blindness or those that are dead or those that are destitute of the power of

locomotion through palsy or lameness. What man is there that would not

reverence this sacred stream that is adored by great Rishis conversant with the

Present, the Past, and the Future, as also by the very deities with Indra at

their head. What man is there that

would not seek the protection of Ganga whose protection is sought for by forest

recluses and householders, and by Yatis and Brahmacharins alike? That man who

dwells by the side of Ganga up to the time of his death, adoring her with

reverence, becomes freed from the fear of every kind of calamity, of sin, and

of kings. The man of righteous conduct who, with rapt soul, thinks of Ganga

at the time when his life-breaths are about to leave his body, succeeds in

attaining to the highest

end. When that highly sacred stream fell from the firmament, Maheswara held it

on His head. It is that very stream which is adored in heaven. [Note: The

river Ganga has three courses. On Earth it is called Bhagirathi or Ganga; in

heaven it is called Mandakini; and in the nether region it is known by the name

of Bhogavati.]

75pt">The three regions, viz., (Earth, Heaven, and the nether place called

Patala) are adorned by the three courses of this sacred stream. The man who

uses the waters of that stream becomes certainly crowned with success. As the

solar ray is to the deities in heaven, as Chandramas is to the Pitris, as the

king is to human beings, even such is Ganga unto all streams. One who becomes

bereaved of mother or father or sons or spouses or wealth does not fell that

grief which becomes one’s, when one becomes bereaved of Ganga. One does not

obtain that joy through acts that lead to the region of Brahma, or through such

sacrifices and rites that lead to heaven, or through children or wealth, which

one obtains from a sight of Ganga. The pleasures that men derive from a sight

of Ganga is equal to what they derive from a sight of the full moon. That man

becomes dear to Ganga who adores her with deep devotion, with mind wholly fixed

upon

her, with a reverence that refuses to take any other object within its sphere,

with a feeling that there is nothing else to the universe worthy of similar

adoration, and with a steadiness that knows no failing away. Creatures that

live on Earth, in the welkin, or in heaven- indeed, even beings that are very

superior- should always bathe in Ganga. Verily, this is the foremost of all

duties with those that are righteous. The fame of Ganga for sanctity has spread

over the entire universe, since she bore all the sons of Sagara, who had been

reduced to ashes, from here to heaven. [Note: The story referred to is this:

King Sagara of the Solw race had sixty thousand sons, all of whom were reduced

to ashes by the curse of Kapila. Afterwards Bhagiratha, a prince of the same

race, brought down Ganga from heaven for their redemption.] Men who are

washed by the bright, beautiful, high, and rapidly moving waves of Ganga,

raised by the wind, became cleansed of all their sins and resemble in splendour

the Sun with his thousand rays. Those men of tranquil souls that have cast off

their bodies in the waters of Ganga, whose sanctity is as great as that of the

ghee (clarified butter) and other liquids poured in sacrifices and which are

capable of

conferring merits equal to those of the greatest of sacrifices, have certainly

attained to a station equal to that of the very deities. Verily, Ganga,

possessed of fame and vast extent and identical with the entire universe and

reverenced by the deities with Indra at their head, the Munis and human beings,

is competent to bestow the fruition of all their wishes upon them that are

blind, them that are idiots, and them that are destitute of all things. They

that sought the refuge of Ganga, that protectress of all universe, that flows in

three streams, that is filled with water at once highly sacred and sweet as

honey and productive of every kind of good, have succeeded in attaining to the

beatitude of heaven. That mortal who dwells by the side

of Ganga and beholds her every day, becomes cleansed by her sight and touch.

Unto him the deities give every kind of happiness here and a high end

hereafter. Ganga is regarded as competent to rescue every creature from sin and

lead him to the felicity of heaven. She is held to be identical with Prisni, the

mother of Vishnu. She is identical with the Word or Speech. She is very remote,

being incapable of easy attainment. She is the embodiment of auspiciousness and

prosperity. She is capable of bestowing the six well-known attributes beginning

with lordship or puissance. She is always inclined to extend her grace. She is

the displayer of all things in the universe, and she is the high refuge of all

creatures. Those who have sought her protection in this life have surely

attained heaven. The fame of Ganga has spread all over the welkin, and heaven,

and earth, and all the points, cardinal and subsidiary, of the compass. Mortal

creatures, by using the waters of that foremost of

streams, always become crowned with high success. That person who himself

beholding Ganga, points her out to others, finds that Ganga rescues him from

rebirth and confers Emancipation on him. Ganga held Guha, the generalissimo of

the celestial forces, in her womb. She bears the most precious of all metals,

viz., gold, also in that womb of hers. They who bathe in her waters every day

in the morning succeed in obtaining the aggregate of three, viz.,

Righteousness, Wealth and Pleasure. Those waters are, again, equal in point of

sanctity to the ghee that is poured with Mantras on the sacrificial fire.

Capable of cleansing one from every sin, she has descended from the celestial

region, and her current is held in high esteem by every one. Ganga is

the daughter of Himavat, the spouse of Hara, and the ornament of both heaven and

earth. She is the bestower of everything auspicious, and is competent to confer

the six well-known attributes beginning with lordship or puissance. Verily, O

king, Ganga is the one object of great sanctity in the three worlds and confers

merit upon all. Truly, monarch, Ganga is Righteousness in liquefied form. She is

energy also running in a liquid form over the earth. She is endued with the

splendour of puissance that belongs to the ghee that is poured with Mantras on

the sacrificial fire. She is always adorned with large waves as also with

Brahmanas who may at all times be seen performing their ablutions in her

waters. Falling from heaven, she was held by Siva on his head. The very mother

of the heavens, she has sprung from the highest mountain for running over the

plains and conferring the most precious benefits on all creatures of the earth.

She is the highest cause of all things; she is perfectly

stainless. She is as subtle as Brahma. She affords the best bed for the dying.

She leads creatures very quickly to heaven. She bears away a large volume of

water. She bestows great fame on all. She is the protectress of the universe.

She is identical with every form. She is very much coveted by persons crowned

with success. Verily, Ganga is the path to heaven of those that have bathed in

her current. The Brahmanas hold Ganga as equaling the earth in forgiveness, and

in the protection and upholding of those that live by her; further, as equaling

Fire and Surya (Sun) in energy and splendour; and, lastly, as always equaling

Guha himself in the matter of showing favours unto the regenerate class.

FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Those men who, in this life, even mentally seek with their

whole souls that sacred stream which is praised by the Rishis, which has issued

out of the feet of Vishnu, which is very ancient, and which is exceedingly

sacred, succeed in repairing to the regions of Brahman. Fully convinced that

children and other possessions, as also regions possessed of every kind of

felicity, are transitory or liable to destruction, men of subdued souls, who

are desirous of attaining to that everlasting station which is identical with

Brahma, always pay their adorations to Ganga with that reverence and love which

are due from a son to mother. The man of cleansed soul who is desirous of

achieving success, should seek the protection of Ganga who is like a cow that

yields Amrita (drink that confers immortality) instead of ordinary milk, who is

prosperity’s self, who is possessed of omniscience, who exists for the entire

universe of creatures, who is the source of all kinds

of food, who is the mother of all mountains, who is the refuge of all righteous

persons, who is immeasurable in puissance and energy, and who charms the heart

of Brahma himself. Having with austere penances, gratified all the deities

with the Supreme Lord (Vishnu), Bhagiratha brought Ganga down to earth.

Repairing unto her, men always succeed in freeing themselves from every kind of

fear both here and hereafter. Observing with the aid of intelligence, I have

mentioned to thee only a small part of the merits of Ganga. My power, however,

is inadequate to speak of all the merits of the sacred river, or, indeed, to

measure her puissance and sanctity. One may, by putting forth one’s best

powers, count the stones that occur in the mountains of Meru

or measure the waters that occur in the ocean, but one cannot count all the

merits, which belong to the waters of Ganga. Hence, having listened to these

particular merits of Ganga, which I have uttered with great devotion, one

should, in thought, word and deed, reverence them with faith and devotion. In

consequence of thy having listened to those merits which I have recited, thou

art sure to fill all the three regions with fame and attain to a measure of

success that is very large and that is difficult of being attained to by any

other person. Verily, thou shalt, soon after that, sport in joy many a region

of great felicity created by Ganga herself for those that reverence her. Ganga

always extends her grace unto those that are devoted to her with humbleness of

heart. She unites those that are devoted to her with every kind of happiness. I

pray that the highly blessed Ganga may always inspire thy heart and mine with

such attributes as are fraught with

righteousness. Bhishma continued: The learned ascetic endued with high

intelligence and great illumination, and crowned with success, having in this

manner discoursed unto that poor Brahmana in the observance of the Sila vow, on

the subject of the infinite merits of Ganga, then ascended the firmament. The

Brahmana in the observance of Sila vow, awakened by the words of that ascetic

crowned with success, duly worshipped Ganga and attained to high success. Do

thou also, O son of Kunti, seek Ganga with great devotion, for thou shalt then,

as the reward thereof, attain to high and excellent success.

Vaisampayana continued: Hearing this discourse from Bhishma that was fraught

with the praise of Ganga, Yuthishthira with his brothers became filled with

great delight. That person who recites or hears recited this sacred discourse

fraught with the praise of Ganga, becomes cleansed of every sin. Thank you

Kumar

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