Have you wondered what are some of the most innate qualities that Jal Bhuta or the Water Element holds? Some of these are - taste, form, movement and sound of flow. Yet the defining quality of this Element is its ability to purify and cleanse the objects with which it is in contact.
The Bharatiya Parampara has recognised this quality of the Element by emphasizing the importance of deep reverence and protection of Bharatvarsha’s water bodies - especially of its rivers. There was a deep understanding of the irreplaceable and divine service that these rivers have on all living entities, which needed due care and reverence on our part for their conservation.
The tradition also had a unique way of expressing defining moments in our planetary evolution in a simple yet very poetic manner. The use of metaphors and vivid imagery was prevalent as it offered the reader’s eye the chance of experiencing these defining moments as they engaged with these metaphoric passages. One such important moment was the descent of the sacred Ganga Nadi on Prithvi Loka.
The tale is very well known but definitely worth a retelling. There was once an Rājā by the name of Sāgara who ruled Ayodhyā. He had two queens named Keshini and Sumati. Keshini had a son named Anshuman and Sumati had sixty thousand sons. As was the custom in those times, Rājā Sāgara performed the Ashwamedha Yagna. During the course of this, a horse was left for the Yajnā fulfillment. Indra Devatā stole the horse and tied it in Kapil Muni's Āshram to dissolve the Yagna. Kapil Muni was in a state of deep Tapas at this point of time.
The Rājā asked his sixty thousand sons to bring the horse. Rājā Sāgara’s sons reached Kapil Muni’s āshram which led to the disturbance of his deep Tapas. This greatly infuriated the great sage and his fiery rage consumed Rājā Sāgara’s sons. Keshini’s son, Anshuman visited the sage’s Āshram to seek his brothers. Unfortunately, that was not to be! Kapil Muni told him that his brothers would attain liberation only once their ashes would be immersed in the holy waters of the celestial river, Ganga.
Rājā Sāgara, his son Anshuman and even his grandson Dileep meditated on Ganga Maa for her to grace their ancestors, but this was of no avail. Finally, Rājā Dileep's son Bhagiratha went to the Gokarna Tirtha to do austerities to bring Ganga Maa to Pruthvi Loka. Pleased with the austerity of Bhagiratha, Brahma bestowed upon Ganga Maa the boon to be born on Pruthvi Loka.
However, a very intriguing conundrum followed. While Ganga Maa was now able to descend on Pruthvi Loka, the latter was not strong enough to bear the magnificent flow (Vega) of the former. To solve this, Brahma called upon Bhagawan Shankara to absorb the enormous velocity of the River Goddess within himself. Rājā Bhagirath stood on one toe and started worshiping Bhagawan Shankara.
After great austerities, Bhagawan was appeased and agreed to absorb this terrific velocity in his jatā or matted locks of hair. Ganga Maa flowed magnificently from the heavens. Ganga Maa kept revolving around Pruthvi Loka for many years and soon disappeared from sight.
Concerned with this Rājā Bhagirath, requested Bhagawan to release Ganga Maa. Granting the wish, Bhagawan released Ganga Maa and she got disintegrated into seven parts. Of these, three flowed eastward, three flowed westward and one flowed southward in the direction that Rājā Bhagirath directed.
At one level, the story speaks of the power of deep penance and intent. At another level, the story also helps us reflect that no matter how much effort an individual makes, he is governed by his ancestry and factors that are beyond his control. For this, he needs divine intervention, without which he may not be successful in his endeavors. The story is a reminder for us to continuously purify ourselves from our limiting tendencies and habitual patterns that seem to bind us.
There are also certain studies being conducted regarding the fact that the descent of Ganga Maa coincides with an asteroid crash on Planet Earth which was the carrier of water. A scientific study points out that:
“The legend of Ganga has many similarities with the impact event of a comet that might have occurred in southern Tibet behind mount Kailash. Various stone carvings and descriptions in the local legend indicate the similarity with the impact of a celestial body. Modern findings of rare minerals and other findings support the impact possibilities. The lakes in the proposed impact region play an important role in the water cycle of Yarlungzangbo (Bramhaputra), however, as on date, no evidence is available that can co-relate these lakes in the possible impact sites with the source of river Ganga. It also does not provide any evidence that the flow of the existing river Ganga was initiated as a result of this impact. Thus it is possible that the legend was a result of observations mixed with belief. Ancient rock art in Kashmir and possible comet impact descriptions in the Veda strongly support the possibility of such an event being observed by early settlements in India. This also supports the modern belief that comets might have played a crucial role in getting water to the planet Earth.”
Ganga Arti at Har Ki Paudi, Haridwar
Regardless of whether it was indeed a scientific epoch moment, for the spiritual seeker, every such event is just a reminder of the need to cleanse himself in various realms. This is the true purpose of celebrating Ganga Dussehra - the tenth day of Shukla Paksha of Jyeshtha month. Let us invoke the purifying water element within (Ganga Maa) and offer ourselves to the Divine (Shankara).
Har Har Gange!
