RIVER GANGA – GLORIES & STORY
PASTIME- (1)
As Nityananda spoke, they went to Jannagara where they saw the enchanting hermitage of Jahnu Muni.
Nityananda Prahhu explained, “This enchanting place named Jahnudvipa is known as Bhadravana. At this place, Jahnu Muni underwent penances and received darsana of the golden form of Gauranga.”
Jahnu Muni was sitting here chanting his Gayatri mantra, when his acamana cup fell into the Bhagirathi (Ganges) and was swept away by the currents.
He opened his mouth and drank all the water in one gulp.
King Bhagiratha thought, ‘Where has the Ganges gone?’
He concluded that Jahnu Muni had drunk the Ganges.
The king was overwhelmed with anxiety and worshipped the muni for several days.
The muni then released the Ganges from his body.
Because of this incident, the Ganges is known as Jahnavi, the daughter of Jahnu, throughout the world.
PASTIME-(2):
One sweet pastime of the Ganga took place in Navadvipa Dhama.
Early one evening when Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his friends went to the Ganga, many brahmanas, sadhus, pandits and young and old women were worshiping and appreciating the pure, beautiful waters of Ganga-devi.
Out of uncontrolled love for Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Ganga-devi began to rush rapidly and overflowed her banks, eager to gently touch the body of the Lord.
The people wondered why Ganga was seething with waves and flooding her banks, though no storm was brewing.
Then they all saw that Caitanya Mahaprabhu was overcome with love for Ganga-devi.
As she splashed her waters across the Lord’s lotus feet.
Lord Gauranga lovingly chanted “Hari-bol.”
He used to say, “In Bengal I have two shelters: my mother and the Ganges River. Both of them are very merciful.” (Cc, Madhya, 16.90)
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu prays to Ganga-devi as follows: “O Ganga-devi, your waters are the ambrosia of love of Godhead. Lord Shiva is conversant with the truth about you. You are so powerful that the mere utterance of your name invokes devotional service to the Supreme Lord, and the result of drinking your water is miraculous. By your mercy, the living entities acquire a taste for chanting Krishna’s holy name. By your influence, even the wild birds and beasts that come close to you become more fortunate than wealthy men who live far away from you. No one is more potent than you in purifying the sinful. In fact, you have descended to this material planet just to relieve the living entities of their sinful reactions.” (Caitanya Bhagavata, Antya-lila, Ch. 1)
GANGA’s GREATNESS
Every Vedic literature nicely explains Ganga-devi’s greatness, mercy and pastimes. Just to hear her pastimes is purifying, what to speak of regularly bathing in her or worshiping her.
The Ganges is mixed with the dust and tulasi leaves from the lotus feet of the Lord. That water sanctifies the three worlds and even Lord Shiva and other demigods.
Srila Prabhupada in (Bhagavatham. 3.5.4):Â
“The Lord is so kind that He has spread the Ganges throughout the universe so that by taking bath in that holy river everyone can be released from sinful reactions. There are many rivers in the world which evoke the sense of one’s God consciousness, but the Ganges is the chief among them. The Ganges and the Bhagavad-gita are the chief sources of transcendental happiness for mankind, and intelligent persons can take shelter of them to go back home, back to Godhead. Sripada Sankaracarya recommends that a little knowledge of Bhagavad-gita and a little drink of Ganges water can save one from the punishment of Yamaraja.”
Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.28.22) says:
“The blessed Lord Shiva becomes all the more blessed by bearing on his head the holy waters of the Ganges, which has its source in the water that washed the Lord’s lotus feet. The Lord’s feet act like thunderbolts hurled to shatter the mountain of sin stored in the mind of the meditating devotee. One should therefore meditate on the lotus feet of the Lord for a long time.”
Srila Prabhupada in Bhagavatham 5.17.I):
“The water of the Ganges is called patita-pavani, the deliverer of all sinful living beings. It is a proven fact that a person who regularly bathes in the Ganges is purified both externally and internally. Externally his body becomes immune to all kinds of disease, and internally he gradually develops a devotional attitude toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Throughout India, many thousands of people live on the banks of the Ganges, and by regularly bathing in her waters, they are undoubtedly being purified both spiritually and materially. Many sages, including Sankaracarya, have composed prayers in praise of the Ganges, and the land of India itself has become glorious because the Ganges, Yamuna, Godavari, Kaveri, Krishna and Narmada flow there. Anyone living on the land adjacent to these rivers is naturally advanced in spiritual consciousness.”
Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.17.9) says:
“Persons who come to bathe in the Ganga are fortunate. It is not difficult for them to achieve, with every step, the results of performing great sacrifices like Rajasuya and Ashvamedha yajnas.”
(Origin of Ganga -Story! READ HERE!)