"Where are You going, Parvati? You can't get away from Me so easily. I'll wait for Your advent in every birth."
Have you ever thought about how the world's greatest love marriage took place? The marriage which set the rules for all other marriages i...
Ganga descended upon the Earth to wash away the sins of mankind.
King Sagara, who ruled the throne of Ayodhya, performed the Ashvamedha Yagya, or the Horse Sacrifice to expand His kingdom.
Fearing His attempts at expansion of both land and power, Lord Indra, the King of Heaven, hid His sacrificial horse in Patala. The horse now stood infront of the spot where Rishi Kapila was performing a tough penance.
Rishi Kapila had mastered strong powers through His austerities. When King Sagara's sons came to retrieve the horse, an angry Rishi Kapila burnt them all to ashes for disturbing His penance.
Sadly, none of them received proper funeral rites and their souls kept wandering around. The responsibility was passed down from generation to generation but every heir failed at this duty.
When King Bhagiratha ascended the throne, He took it as His sole responsibility and purpose in life. He prayed for a thousand years to Lord Brahma to ask for guidance.
Pleased with His prayers, Lord Brahma appeared, who is the personification of the Vedas and the Cosmic Creator of the Universe.
"Bhagiratha, You must pray to the Goddess Ganga, for She is the Destroyer of all sins. She was born from the void created by the footnail of Lord Vishnu when He expanded His form as Lord Vamana to subdue Bali. She flows through Swarga and She shall descend to Earth for the deliverance and benefit of all mankind."
Upon hearing this advice, Bhagiratha prayed for another thousand years to the River Goddess. She appeared in Her transcendental form as a Goddess.
As young as a maiden, with youthful skin and whitish complexion, She wore precious crystals and gemstones. Pearls decorated Her thick lush hair and She wore a sparkling tiara.
"Bhagirath, I am ready to grant Your wish, but I have a condition. If I descend on this Earth, it won't be able to handle My force and will drown or tumble. You must find a way about handling My force and only then can I step on the mortal land of humans."
Bhagiratha felt miserable and helpless. He had already lost so much of His lifetime in penance and yet He saw no fruits. The wandering souls of His ancestors continued to haunt Him and were pleading for liberation.
But just when all hope is lost, enters the Divine.
And He knew where His prayers would be answered once and for all.
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He opened a lock of His thick, matted hair and a small drop fell on the Earth.
From the very tiny drop, emerged an entire overflowing river. The river flowed in full fury, cutting through rocks and shaking mountains on it's way.
Bhagiratha found a quiet place by the banks and finally conducted the funeral rites of His ancestors. The souls were liberated and He too gained peace.
When Bhagiratha approached Shiva, He readily agreed to help and tame down the fierce River.
He stood still and calm near the Lake Mansarovar. He opened His matted hair and allowed the River to flow onto His head. She thought that He would not be able to bear Her force, but He effortlessly held Her in His locks, and let Her descend on the Earth slowly, drop by drop.
She was no more the torrential, raging River, but the calm and pure Ganga. Such was Her piousness and purity, that even the worst sinner could wash away his sins in Her waters. She was the epitome of purity and sacred holiness.
And Shiva was Gangadhar, the One who held the Ganga in His matted hair.
He is the Ganga of Knowledge. He is the source of all wisdom that exists and doesn't. He is both truth and ignorance. He is both Vidya and Avidya. He was living as the manifestation of non duality, even amidst the duality of life.
The head is the storehouse of knowledge. And Shiva is Dakshinamurthy, the Guru who faces the South direction, and is ever ready to bestow knowledge to anyone who comes to Him as a disciple.
The River Ganga flowing from Shiva's head represented the flow of knowledge; knowledge that purifies your soul, just like how the River cleanses away sins.
But when knowledge gets suppressed by the Self in the head, ego is born. And like the River Goddess , arrogance makes one ignorant. When She thought that no one could tame Her, Shiva emerged and destroyed all illusions. Shiva is the Destroyer of Arrogance and Ego. He subdued ego and lets wisdom flow freely, spreading it to everyone so that the world can reap its benefits.
Shiva blessed His great devotee, who too had considered the betterment of the entire mankind, before His own needs, and was just as selfless as Shiva was.
"Bhagirath, due to your consistent efforts and penance to give peace to your ancestors, the River Ganga will also be known as Bhagirathi till the Alaknanda converges with it. This place will be known as Devprayag, and this will be revered as the Bhoo Ganga. The Ganga will complete its course even through the Swarga as Mandakini and through Patala as Bhagvati. And will finally meet the Ocean."
As the Ganga flowed towards Patala Loka, it's lowest destination, She flooded Rishi Jahnu's cottage. This infuriated the Rishi and in a fit or rage, He swallowed the River to teach Her a lesson for Her haughtiness.
Bhagirath pleaded again to the Rishi to release Her. Pleased, He released the River through His ears. She was thus named Jahnavi.
When Shiva returned to His abode again, His eyes instantly wandered looking for Parvati.
He found Her sitting quietly in a secluded rock, away from Their chambers, deep inside the forests.
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।। ॐ नमः पार्वती पतिये हर हर महादेव ।। ।। ॐ नमः शिवाय ।।
