Mythology of River Ganges: Know the interesting story about the mythological tale of the origin of Ganga

Mythology of River Ganges: Religious mythology states that Maa Ganga arrived at Lord Shiva’s locks from heaven on the Saptami Tithi of Shukla Paksha in the month of Vaishakh. Ganga Saptami is observed on this day. Ganga Jayanti (Vaishakh Shukla Saptami) is the day when Ganga ji was born, and ‘Ganga Dussehra’ (Jyeshtha Shukla Dashami) is the day that Ganga ji came to earth. Maa Ganga is honored on this day.

For this reason, understanding the Ganga is crucial. What is the Ganga? Goddess or River? How can it be a goddess if it is a river, and how can it be a goddess if it is a river? Since each river in India is the source of every other water in the country, they are really all regarded as goddesses. It is the one that keeps people alive. Life exists wherever there is a river. A river will undoubtedly be named after a deity in such a case.

The Puranas include several tales about the Ganga. Tell us a few of them.

The Ganga’s genesis story:

It is stated that Himalaya, who is also the father of Parvati, is the father of Ganga Devi. Mata Ganga was born in her second incarnation at the location of Rishi Jahnu, the same as Mata Sati, daughter of King Daksha, was born in the Himalayas under the name Parvati.

It is also stated that Brahma’s kamandal is where Ganga originated. This indicates the birth of the Ganga river. Another version says that Brahmaji respectfully bathed Vishnuji’s feet and gathered the water in his kamandal. The Ganga is known as Vishnupadi because it sprung from Lord Vishnu’s thumb. Another narrative claims that Ganga is the sister of Goddess Parvati and the daughter of Himavan, the ruler of the mountains, and his wife, Meena. She has sometimes been referred to as a member of the Brahma clan.

1. The Ganga Story:

Everyone knows that Lord Rama’s ancestor, Bhagirath, the monarch of the Ikshvaku dynasty, worked to bring the Ganga river down from heaven. However, in order to draw Ganga down from heaven, he had to do penance. Brahma was pleased with his penance and said, “Rajan! Do you want the Ganga to come down to us? Have you, however, questioned whether the ground can sustain the Ganga’s weight and speed? Only Lord Shankar, in my opinion, is capable of managing the Ganga’s pace. Thus, it would be fitting to get Lord Shiva’s blessings in order to manage the Ganga’s weight and pace.

The same was done by Maharaj Bhagirath. Brahma unleashed the Ganga stream from his kamandal after being pleased with his strict penance. The Ganga stream was then collected by Lord Shankar in his matted hair and knotted. He later released Ganga from his matted hair during the devotion of Bhagirath.

It is stated that Brahmacharini Ganga’s touch was the only reason Mahadev agreed to marry her. The Goddess Ganga sits on Shiva’s forehead, whereas a woman serves her husband and hence resides in his heart or at his feet. Ganga is known as Vishnupadi because she sprang from Lord Vishnu’s thumb. As a gift from Lord Vishnu, Shiva took the Goddess Ganga as his bride.

Kartikeya, the son of Shankar and Parvati, is also claimed to have been conceived by Goddess Ganga. Ganga is regarded as Parvati’s sister since her father is likewise Himavan. The Skanda Purana states that Kartikeya (Murugan), who is truly the son of Shankar and Parvati, has Goddess Ganga as his stepmother. Parvati used her physical union to form the picture of Ganesh, but after being submerged in the Ganga’s sacred waters, Ganesh came to life. Ganesh is also known as Dwimaatr and Gangaya (son of Ganga), according to the belief that he had two mothers, Parvati and Ganga.

The Brahma Vaivarta Purana (2.6.13–95) states that Vishnu only had Lakshmi with him and sent Saraswati to Brahma and Ganga to Shiva since his three wives could not get along.

2. The Ganga Story:

King Pratipa was a Mahabhis in a past life. He was there for Brahma’s service. At that moment, Ganga was also there. Ganga caught the attention of King Mahabhis, who began to gaze at her. Ganga began to stare at him, drawn to him as well. After seeing all of this, Brahma condemned him to endure suffering in human form.

Ganga was born as the daughter of the philosopher Jahnu, while King Mahabhis was born as Kuru King Pratipa. The desire to have a son drove Maharaja Pratipa to do penance on the banks of the Ganga one day. Ganga, captivated by his beauty, shape, and discipline, approached him and perched on his right leg, saying, “King!” I’d want to wed you. I am Ganga, the sage Jahnu’s daughter.

King Pratipa said, “Ganga!” on this. I can accept you as my daughter-in-law since you are sitting on my right thigh, which is a sign of a son, even though a wife should be left-handed. After hearing this, Ganga departed.

Ganga wed Shantanu, the son of Maharaj Pratipa, who was given the name Shantanu. He had eight sons from the Ganga, seven of whom perished in the river, and the eighth of whom survived. Devavrata was the name of his eighth son. Later on, this Devavrata was referred to as Bhishma.