The holy and most sacred, the river Ganges is the place where life originates and even comes to an end. For more than a thousand years, Mother Ganga has been embracing all her children in her lap and taking away all our sins. Blessed is the cool water of the river Ganges, acquiring special significance in all the Vedas and Puranas. This is the reason that not only Indians but tourists also come to bathe in this river. Read on to know about our mother Ganga
The Heavenly Origin
According to Hindu mythology, it was Lord Vishnu who originated the Ganges River. This happened in his incarnation as a dwarf Brahmin when he took two steps to cross the world. People say that in his second move, he accidentally made a small hole in the wall of the universe. After this incident, some water from Mandakini river flowed. And, the river Ganges started flowing in the sky. Lord Vishnu allowed one of his devotees, Bhagiratha, to descend the river Ganges towards the earth.
However, another problem was revealed that if the holy river immediately falls on the earth, it can lead to destruction everywhere. This time, Lord Shiva came to the rescue. He gently lowered the goddess into her hair. And, like this, it took about a thousand years for the Ganges to land on Earth. Since then, Mother Ganga has been removing the sins of the people and purifying them.
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The physical origins of Ganges
Apart from Puranic stories, Bhagirathi is the source of the Ganges River. It has its origin in the Himalayas. Originated from Gaumukh in the Himalayas, the Bhagirathi River is a large river of more than seventy five square miles. The Bhagirathi merges with the Alaknanda River at Devprayag, and this is where the Ganges name comes from.
The Ganges in the Art
Often referred to as Maa Ganga, the goddess is depicted in Hindu art wearing a white sari and riding on a crocodile. If there are many temples of Maa Ganga in the holy city in Haridwar and Varanasi. In her human form, Goddess Ganga is seen with her sister-Yamuna.
Significance of the Ganges in Hindu Mythology
Ganga is often associated with the Trimurti or three deities – Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Lord Brahma uses the water of this holy river to keep it in his kamandal and uses it to create the universe. Lord Vishnu washed his divine feet in this river during the Trivikram avatar. You must have definitely seen the idol of Lord Shiva, at least once in life. The river Ganges is flowing with their long black hair.
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Furthermore, even Lord Krishna mentioned, “I am the pipal among all the trees, the shark among all the fish, and the Ganges among all the rivers.” The river Ganges has miraculous and extraordinary powers. The Ganges water has the power to cleanse all the sins of a person, who dips into it. In one story, Ganga is described as the sister of Mata Parvati and the consort of Lord Shiva. Also, in various Puranas she is described as Bhishma’s mother. Apart from this, this holy river is also very important in the epic Mahabharata.
The significance of Ganga Jal in Pujas
The sacred waters of the Ganges River are inseparable along with traditional worship. In Kali Yuga there are many possibilities in the waters of the cosmic Ganges to remove all the evils of a person. A dip in this holy river alone is enough to take away the sins of many births. In addition, water also has disinfectant properties and forms a positive area. Therefore, Ganges is the ideal water for water worships.