Ganga (goddess)
Ganga | |
---|---|
Personification of the Himavan (father) and Maināvati (mother) | |
Siblings | Parvati, Mainaka |
Consort | Shantanu |
Children | Bhishma |
Ganga (
Some of the earliest mentions of Ganga are found in the Rigveda, where she is mentioned as the holiest of the rivers. Her stories mainly appear in post-Vedic texts such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Puranas.
The Ramayana describes her to be the firstborn of Himavat, the personification of the Himalayas, and the sister of the mother goddess Parvati. However, other texts mention her origin from the preserver deity, Vishnu. Legends focus on her descent to earth, which occurred because of a royal-sage Bhagiratha, aided by the god Shiva. In the epic Mahabharata, Ganga is the mother of the warrior Bhishma in a union with the Kuru king Shantanu.
In Hinduism, Ganga is seen as a mother to humanity. Pilgrims immerse the
Vedic scriptures
Ganga is mentioned in the Rigveda, the earliest and theoretically the holiest of the Hindu scriptures. Ganga is mentioned in the Nadistuti (Rigveda 10.75), which lists the rivers from east to west. In RV 6.45.31, the word Ganga is also mentioned, but it is not clear if the reference is to the river. RVRV 3.58.6 says that "your ancient home, your auspicious friendship, O Heroes, your wealth is on the banks of the Jahanvi". This verse could refer to the Ganga. In RV 1.116.18–19, the Jahanvi and the Ganges river dolphin occur in two adjacent verses.[1]
Iconography
Ganga is described as the melodious, the fortunate, the cow that gives much milk, the eternally pure, the delightful, the body that is full of fish, affords delight to the eye and leaps over mountains in sport, the bedding that bestows water and happiness, and the friend or benefactor of all that lives.[2]
Since the Vedic period, the Ganges river has been considered the holiest of all rivers by
Ganga is depicted
Another depiction popular especially in
In Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Ganga is often depicted with her divine mount, the makara – an animal with the head of a crocodile and tail of a dolphin.
Legend
Birth
The Ramayana and several other texts narrate that Brahma created Himavat. He later became the king of the Himalayas, and married Menavati, the daughter of Meru. After several years, a daughter was born, and they named her Ganga. After some years, another daughter named Parvati was born, who was an incarnation of Sati. When Ganga grew up, the devas took her to Svarga, and she took a form of a river and flowed there.[3][4]
The
Transformation into a river
A legend in the
Descent upon the earth
The Mahabharata narrates that there was once a war between the devas and the asuras. The leader of the asuras, Vritra, was killed by Indra, and so his followers hid in the sea, causing the devas to be unable to find them. The devas requested Sage Agastya to help. He used his divine powers and swallowed the ocean to reveal where the asuras were hiding. The devas defeated the remaining asuras, and asked Sage Agastya to restore the water. However, the sage was unable to release the water, despite trying several times. This caused drought conditions upon the earth, but Vishnu assured that the ocean would be filled by the flow of Ganga on the planet.[10]
The story about Ganga's descent on earth through the efforts of
King Sagara sent his grandson, Amshuman, to ask the sage Kapila what could be done to bring deliverance to their souls. Sage Kapila advised that only the water of the Ganges, which flowed from Svarga, could liberate them.[12] Bhagiratha, Amshuman's grandson, undertook severe ascetic practices, and won the favour of Brahma and Shiva. Brahma allowed Ganga to descend on earth, while Shiva broke Ganga's fall in the coils of his hair, so that her force would not shatter the earth.[12] When Ganga descended, Bhagiratha led her to the sea. From there, the river reached the netherworld, and liberated the sixty thousand sons of King Sagara.[10]
Because of Bhagiratha's efforts, the river is also known as Bhagirathi. She is also known as Tripathaga because she flows in the three worlds, heaven, earth, and the netherworld.[11] Another epithet that Ganga is known by is Jahnavi, because she flooded the ashram of Sage Jahnu while being led by Bhagiratha. Her waters extinguished the ritual fire there, which angered the sage Jahnu, so he drank up all of Ganga's waters. Sage Jahnu later released the water out of his left ear after Bhagiratha explained his mission for Ganga's descent. Due to this incident, Ganga is known as Jahnavi, which means daughter of Sage Jahnu.[10]
Marriage and children
In the Mahabharata, Ganga is the wife of Shantanu as well as the mother of the eight Vasus, including Bhishma.[13][14] Ganga and Shantanu were cursed by Brahma to be born on earth. Shantanu met Ganga on the banks of the Ganges and asked her to marry him. She accepted the proposal on the condition that Shantanu would not question any of her actions.[14] Shantanu agreed and they married. They lived together peacefully and had eight sons who were the incarnation of the eight Vasus. They too had been cursed and had asked Ganga to end their life when they were born to her on earth. Due to their request, Ganga began drowning each son upon birth while Shantanu watched without questioning. However, when she was about to drown their eighth son, Bhishma, Shantanu stopped her.[14] Ganga later leaves with Bhishma but gives him back to Shantanu when he is ten years old.[14]
Significance
The Ganga is also called the Ganga Mata (Mother), and is revered in Hindu worship and culture, venerated for her forgiveness of sins and capacity to cleanse mankind.[15] Unlike various other goddesses, she has no destructive or fearsome aspect, destructive though she might be as a river in nature.[15] She is also a mother to other gods.[13]
Festivals
Ganga Jayanti
On this day, Ganga is regarded to have been reborn. According to legend, the goddess is regarded to have accidentally destroyed the hut of Sage Jahnu during her descent upon the earth. In retort, the sage drank the entirety of the river's water. At the request of Bhagiratha and Ganga herself, he released the river from his ear, and she earned the epithet Jahnavi.[16] Ganga Jayanti falls on the seventh day of the month of Vaishakha's first fortnight.
Ganga is worshipped during Navaratri as all the forms of Adishakti during the duration of the festivities.
Loi Krathong
Thais use the Krathong to thank the Goddess of Water, the Hindu goddess Ganga, Phra Mae Khongkha (Thai: พระแม่คงคา).
Beyond the Indian subcontinent and Hinduism
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Ganga is respected in
In Sri Lanka, Ganga with other Hindu deities assumes a Buddhist persona. Her sculpture is seen in Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara.[20][21]
In Balinese Hinduism, she is worshipped together with the goddess Danu. Her waters are considered holy in Bali. Her maternal association with Bhishma is known in Bali. Religious sites associated with her in Bali are Tirta Gangga, Pura Taman Mumbul Sangeh, and Kongco Pura Taman Gandasari.[22]
Ganga Talao in Mauritius is considered by the Mauritian Hindus equivalent to Ganga. In 1972, the then Prime Minister of Mauritius, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam brought Holy water from the Ganga's source – Gomukh in India and mixed it with the water of the Grand Bassin and renamed it as Ganga Talao.[citation needed]
Ganga is invoked with Hindu deities Shiva,
Ganga has been revered in
See also
References
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- ISBN 978-81-288-3028-0.
- ^ "Story of Gaṅgā". 28 January 2019. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.
- ^ www.wisdomlib.org (15 May 2013). "On the coming in this world of Lakṣmī, Gaṅgā and Sarasvatī [Chapter 6]". www.wisdomlib.org. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-19-533261-2.
- ISBN 978-0-14-306766-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9535679-7-3.
- ^ a b c Eck, Diana L. (2012). India : a sacred geography. New York: Harmony Books. pp. 216–221.
- ^ a b c Sen, Sudipta (2019). Ganges : the many pasts of an Indian River. New Haven: Yale University Press.
- ^ a b Eck 1998, p. 149
- ^ a b c d Vemsani, Lavanya (2021), Introduction: Feminine Journeys of the Mahabharata, Cham: Springer International Publishing, p. 198
- ^ a b Quoted in Eck 1982, p. 218
- ISBN 978-81-206-1786-5.
- ^ "Statue of the River Goddess Ganga in Royal Palace in Patan, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal Stock Photo - Image of Nepalese, Asian: 89398650". Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Nepal Patan Ganga Statue High Resolution Stock Photography and Images - Alamy". Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "53 Kathmandu Gokarna Mahadev Temple Ganga Statue". Mountainsoftravelphotos.com. 10 October 2010. Archived from the original on 31 August 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- ^ "Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara". Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "The Goddess Ganga (Bas-relief depicting the goddess Ganga atop her crocodile (Makara) mount at Kelaniya Temple, Sri Lanka) | Mahavidya". Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Taman Mumbul dengan Panglukatan Pancoran Solas di Sangeh, Simbol Dewata Nawasanga". Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "พระราชพิธีตรียัมปวาย-ตรีปวาย". Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "อุทยานศาสนาพระโพธิสัตว์กวนอิม". Archived from the original on 23 January 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ ""พันปีไม่เคยแห้ง" น้ำศักดิ์สิทธิ์ ของพญานาค จากสระทั้งสี่ ที่เมืองสุพรรณบุรี". 4 March 2019. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Vasudha Narayanan | Department of Religion". Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Shiva with Uma and Ganga, sandstone, 101 x 53 x 13 cm". Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
Sources
- ISBN 978-0231114479
- ISBN 8120814916
- Vijay Singh: The River Goddess (Moonlight Publishing, London, 1994)
External links
- Ganga Ma: A Pilgrimage to the Source a documentary that follows the Ganges from the mouth to its source in the Himalayas.