"Gam gachanti iti Ganga”, “Gam means eternal, “ga” is mass creation and “m” is mass destruction, gachanti means to move, thus Ganga means flowing divine eternal river.” River Ganga is eternal and her water is divine.
Lord Vishnu took Vamana avataara to kill demon Bali. Huge and fearsome Bali was doing yajna when little vamana arrived and asked him for alms. Bali laughed at his size and promised him three boons. Little Vamana seeked only three steps to walk as alms. Bali was amused and immediately said “yes”. Tiny Vamana immediately turned into infinite Vishnu form and took one step crushing the yajna fire which went all the way down crossing hells and was held on tortoise back. Second step went all the way till Brahma-loka. As there was no more place left to take the third step, Bali offered his head and was thus crushed to death.
From this second step which reached Brahma-loka, made Lord Brahma feel over-whelmed and wanted to honor him. There was a special “kamandulu- vessel” with spiritual water given to him by Lord Shiva himself. Lord Brahma started pouring that water on Lord Vishnu’s feet to seek his blessings. That water fell in four directions water from the south direction was received by Lord Shiva in his hair bun, west returned back to the kamandulu, north was accepted by Lord Vishnu and east was rejoiced by deities and ancestors. That supreme and divine water fulfilled all their desires from samnsaara to moksha.
Maharishi Gautama was paying a penance to Lord Shiva from years with a desire to bring that divine water from his hair bun to earth. He wanted humans to gain benefit by it. Lord Shiva granted him a boon and a part of water from his hair came down as “Gautami Ganga also called Godavari.” Gautami Ganga turned into fifteen streams, four went to heaven, four to hell and seven streams started flowing on earth named Pravara, Purna, Manjira, Manair, Pranhita, Indravati and Sabari. Gautami Ganga is the most pious “teertha-pilgrimage” as declared by Lord Shiva.
Sagara was one of the most powerful kings of Ikshvaku lineage. Unfortunately, he was child-less despite of having two wives. Sad and lonely he left for Maharishi Vashishtha’s ashram and shared his concern. Maharishi Vashishtha then helped him and Sagara then was blessed with sixty thousand sons from one wife and one son from the other. Eager to win over the earth, he performed the great “Ashvamedha yajna” and set his horse free. Seeing the horse, God Indra from heaven got scared and asked his men to follow him and hid him somewhere. indra’s soldiers kept hunting for a good place and finally tied him in hell next to sleeping “Kapila Mahamuni”.
Here, Sagara’s sixty thousand sons kept looking for the horse in heaven and earth but failed. Suddenly they heard a voice from space “akaasha-vaani” saying that the horse was in hell. Sons of Sagara dug earth till hell and approached the horse tied next to Kapila Maharishi. Thinking Kapila Mahamuni have stolen the horse, they started kicking him and wanted to put him to death. Angry Kapila muni, then burnt them down and they all died.
Devarishi Narada was given the task of informing Sagara, who was sad on hearing the news and losing all his sixty thousand sons. As, he had already disowned his other one son named Asmanjja to forest for not following his Kshatriya dharma. Losing sixthy thousand and one sons set him back in trauma.
Asmanjja’s son “Anshumaana” was a dharmic child and wanted to help his grandfather. He then set towards pleasing Kapila Mahamuni. Pleased with his devotion and prayers, Kapila Mahamuni returned the horse back to him, which was handed over to Sagara to finish his Ashvamedha Yajna.
Thought of his sixty thousand dead sons, without getting any final rights made him ill and he died eventually. Anshumaana had a son named “Dilip” who had a very devoted son “Bhagiratha”. Bhagiratha wanted to fulfill his great grandfather’s last wish and went to Kapila Mahamuni seeking help in performing last rights of his burnt sixty thousand grand-fathers. Kapila Mahamuni then asked him to pay penance to Lord Shiva and ask him to bless his grandfathers.
Bhagiratha then started paying penance to Lord Shiva to please him for years. Till one-day Lord Shiva appeared and asked him for a boon. Bhagiratha wanted mother Ganga to come on earth and bless his dead sixty thousand grandfathers. Lord Shiva granted his wish and asked him to worship Ganga and convince her to come and bless humanity. Since, she flowed as a single stream from Lord Shiva’s hair bun, she is considered to be Supreme.
Bhagiratha pleased Ganga who came down first filling the pit dug by Sagara’s son to enter hell, thus freeing their souls. She then stated flowing on earth to bless the entire humanity.
Ganga is named Maaheshvari, vaishnavi, Braahmii, Paavanii, Bhaagirathii, Devanadii and Himgirishikhaashryaa.
….. Brahma Purana.
It is believed that the entire water on earth is “Ganga water- as it is present in all the rivers, oceans and seas through evaporation process” and one can invoke it anywhere and at anytime.
This is the Ganga mantram:
Namaami Gange tava paada pankajam suraasura vandita divya ruupam.
Bhuktincha muktincha dadaasi nityam bhaavaanuruupena sadaa Naraanaam.
I pay salutations to you oh mother Ganga! Your feet are like lotus flower and your divine form is worshipped by Gods and demons. You keep blessing us with wisdom and liberation, the way we humans desire.
Ganga Gayatri mantra:
Om Bhaageerthye ch vidmahe Vishnupatnye ch dheemahi! Tanno Gangaa prachodayaata!
It is believed that whoever gains this knowledge of Ma Ganga, has a firm faith in her and takes a bath in her water, doesn’t return back on this earth.
Om Tat Sat
Raadhaa Acharya
