Ganga ( Sk. गंगा , Hindi गंगा , Gaṅgā IAST , Thai. คงคา ) is the Hindu goddess , the embodiment of the holy river Ganga (Ganges). The river and the goddess play a prominent role in Hindu religion and mythology. It is also a symbol of motherhood (there is an epithet “Ganga-Ma” - “mother of the Ganga”), a link between the worlds and a means for purification. Hindus believe that the river can take off sins and help salvation. Often this action is simply associated with bathing in a river at any time, as well as immersion of the ashes of the dead in its waters, for which people come to the river even from remote areas. On the banks of the river there are several sacred sites for Hindus, in particular the cities of Haridwar , Allahabad and Varanasi . During the Loy Krathong festival in Thailand, boats with lighted candles are released with reference to the goddess Ganga.
The river and the goddess are mentioned in the oldest Indian literary works, in particular the Vedas , the Puranas , the Ramayana and the Mahabharata . Many legends of Hinduism are associated with the river. According to various versions, Ganga was the embodiment of the boat of Brahma , his daughter or the daughter of Himavan, the ruler of the mountains. At the beginning of the times, the Ganges was exclusively a heavenly river, inaccessible on earth, but later was lowered to Earth, flowing now in all worlds of Hindu cosmography.
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Birth
In Hindu mythology, there are several options for the birth of the Ganges. According to one version, the sacred waters of Brahma’s commander were personified in the form of this goddess.
According to another ( Vaishnava ) legend, Brahma respectfully washed the feet of Vishnu and collected all the water from washing in his sacred kamandalu, and this water later became a goddess.
In the third version, which Ramayana talks about, Ganga was the daughter of Himavan or Meru, the owner (or even the embodiment) of the Himalayas , and his wife Mena, so she is the sister of the goddess Parvati . Each of these versions claims that the Ganges was raised to Svarga (heaven) in the care of Brahma.
According to the Vishnu Purana , Ganga came out of Vishnu's big toe. Dhurva, the polar star , took the girl and held it on her head while the rishis , the Pleiades, bathed in her waters. After this, the Ganges washed away for a month , made it shine. And already after that, she descended to Svarga on the top of Mount Meru, and flowed four streams to Earth, their names: Sita, Alaknanda, Chiku and Bhadra. South, Alaknu, Shiva held on his head a hundred heavenly years, after which he let it go through his hair. Since that time, Shiva has often been depicted with a crescent moon overhead, from which a stream of water flows. Therefore, the Ganges breaks up into many arms before flowing into the ocean, and Alaknanda is its most holy stream.
Descent to Earth
The most famous legend associated with the Ganga is the legend of Bhagirath (Bhagirath), set forth in the Ramayana and Bhagavata Purana . When King Sagar (Sagar), the ruler of one of the major Indian states, performed Ashvamedha , the royal rite of horse sacrifice, the horse disappeared, perhaps he was abducted by Indra, and the sons of the king accused of stealing the sage Kapil . Kapila, however, destroyed and cursed the princes, leaving the only chance for their salvation to plunge their ashes into the waters of the Ganges. The new ruler of the state, Bhagirath , took up this business. For many years he was forced to do tapas to Brahma and Shiva, first in order for Brahma to order the Ganges to come down, and then for Shiva to tame her violent temper. Thus, Bhagirathi was able to accomplish tasks, and the upper reaches of the river received the name Bhagirathi for his name.
Another legend tells that having descended to Earth, a stormy river destroyed the Rishi Jahnu fields. Upon learning of this, he got angry and drank all the waters of the Ganges. The gods were forced to ask Jahna, to release her to carry out his mission. Jahnu freed the river through its ears, from that time the river has an alternative name - Jahnavi - “daughter of Jahnu”.
It is also often considered that the river will dry up at the end of the Kali Yuga , the modern era.
Other Legends
According to the Skanda Purana , Ganga was the nurse of Murugan (Kartikei), the son of Shiva and Parvati. Skanda Purana also says that the image of Ganesha Shiva and Parvati created from their bodily impurities, but he was endowed with life after immersion in the sacred waters of the Ganges. Therefore, according to ancient manuscripts, Ganesh has two mothers, Parvati and Ganga, which is why they are also called Dvaimātura or Gangeya, the son of Ganga.
In the ancient Indian epic work Mahabharata it is said that the gods Vasu, the damned ishis of Vasishtha to mortal life, for trying to steal the sacred cow, invited Ganga to become their mother for returning to heaven. Ganga agreed, and was forced to become the wife of the king Shantanu , the ruler of Hastinapur . She turned into a beautiful woman whom Shantanu saw on the banks of the river and invited her to marry him. She agreed, but with one condition: Shantanu would not ask any questions about her actions and deeds. They were married, and soon Ganga gave birth to seven (out of eight) Vasu, whom she immediately drowned, freeing from a curse and giving the opportunity to be reborn in the sky. Shantanu did not dare to ask why this happened, because of his promise, but he could not resist when Ganga was going to drown the eighth child, Dyaus . Ganga stopped and left the child alive, fulfilling the prophecy that Dyaus should be punished for all of Vasu. So the boy, the earthly incarnation of Dyaus, remained in mortal form and was nicknamed Bhisma, becoming one of the main characters of the Mahabharata.
Iconography
According to the canons of Indian art, Ganga is visualized as a sensual and beautiful woman carrying an overflowing jug in her hand. This jug symbolizes the idea of rich life and fertility, nutrition and maintenance of the universe.
The second distinctive feature of the iconography of the Ganges, is her mount, on which she often rides. This is Makara , a hybrid creature with the body of a crocodile and fish tail. Makar in Hindu mythology corresponds to the zodiac constellation of Capricorn in the western astrological interpretation.
Makara is also the supreme animal of Varuna, the Vedic god of waters, which indicates the Vedic roots of the Ganges.
Quite often, the Ganges are portrayed at the entrance to Hindu temples. This arrangement is rooted in its heavenly origin and the constant flow from heaven to Earth, which makes it a mediator between these worlds. Thus, the location at the entrance indicates the mediation between the world of the gods and the world of man. In addition, the ability of the Ganges to purify, necessary for the communication of mortals with the gods, is also important. Often, along with the Ganges on the opposite side of the doorway, the Yamuna , the goddess of the river Yamuna, a tributary of the Ganges, is also depicted.
Links
- Different Aspects of Ganga (eng.)