Ṛshis’ Stotra to Gaṅgā
This is the hymn to Gaṅgā that a gathering of ṛshis sang in the presence of Bhagavān Kalki. It is found in the Kalki Purāṇa, Tritīyāmśa, chapter 20. Sūta Romaharshaṇaputra tells it to Śaunaka and the ṛshis at Naimishāraṇya, as it came down through Śukadeva. The stotra tells of Gaṅgā’s birth from the kamaṇḍalu of Bhagavān Brahmā, her names Mandākinī in svarga and Bhogavatī in Pātāla, her coming to earth behind Bhagīratha, her place as the wife of Śantanu and the mother of Bhīshma, and her three-fold form through svarga, the world of mortals and Pātāla.
The setting
At Naimishāraṇya, Sūta had told the whole of the avatāra of Bhagavān Kalki: his birth, the Digvijaya, the defeat of Kali, and his final rise to Vaikuṇṭha. Then Śaunaka Maharshi asked Sūta to tell the Gaṅgā stotra that the ṛshis had sung in the presence of Kalki. Sūta answered that it had come down through Śukadeva. He said it destroys śoka (sorrow) and moha (delusion), destroys all pāpa, and gives moksha.
The stotra
Gaṅgā who lifts living beings
The ṛshis begin by calling Gaṅgā the deva-nadī (river of the devas), who lifts all living beings out of the bhava-sāgara (ocean of worldly existence). She flows from the lotus feet of Śrī Hari to the earth. She takes away saṃsāra-bhīti (fear of worldly bondage) and washes away pāpa. She lives on the peak of Sumeru and brings joy to the devas. All living beings (prāṇis) in the world praise her.
Her coming to earth
Gaṅgā followed Bhagīratha to the earth. With her bright white form she put down the pride of Airāvata. She is like the moon on the crown of Parameśvara. She is white as the peaks of the Himālaya. Bhagavān Brahmā, Bhagavān Vishṇu and Parameśvara praised her, and so did devas, dānavas, manushyas and sarpas. She takes away pāpa and gives the fruit of moksha.
The creeper of moksha
The stotra gives an image. Gaṅgā is a latā (creeper) born from the kamaṇḍalu of Bhagavān Brahmā. Its seed (bīja) is mukti (moksha). The assembly of brāhmaṇas is the basin at its root (ālavāla). Sudarśana is its fruit and sukha (happiness) its leaves. This creeper rose from the peak of Sumeru and spread through all three worlds. Śruti and smṛti both praise it.
Her names in the three worlds
In devaloka Gaṅgā is called Mandākinī. In the world of mortals she is Gaṅgā. In the world below she is Bhogavatī. She flows through all three realms and purifies all beings who meet her in any form.
Wife of Śantanu and mother of Bhīshma
The ṛshis praise her with the epithet srashṭamāna-avayavā (of perfect form) as Śantanubhāryā, the wife of King Śantanu. They describe her in clear pictures:
- the peaks of the Himālaya are her breasts;
- the foaming water is her smile;
- the white haṃsas are her gait;
- the moving waves are her hands;
- clusters of blooming lotuses are her garland.
She moves joyfully towards the samudra (ocean). The stotra names her plainly Bhīshma-mātā, the mother of Bhīshma.
Her many forms on the river
The stotra goes on with a poem of Gaṅgā in her many forms. At times her waters make soft, sweet sounds. At times terrible creatures of the water are with her. The groups of munis (muni-gaṇas) praise her and the devas worship her. She blazes with the brightness of the sun’s rays. In some places she becomes fierce waterfalls. In others she is the calm bathing place of countless pilgrims.
The declaration of merit
“He who bows to Gaṅgā is kuśala (auspicious). He who says her name with bhakti is a tapasvin. He who remembers Mandākinī is purusha-shreshṭha (the best of men). He who serves the deva-nadī is a victorious master.”
The ṛshis’ own prayer
The stotra ends with the ṛshis’ own wish. They wish to see the body of Gaṅgā made holy in her pure waters, while devas, manushyas and the groups of sarpas all praise her together. They pray to live on her banks, to bathe in her pure waters, to see her, to remember her name and to recite her upākhyānas (accounts). They say: “these are what will make our hearts overflow; through your service alone will people honour us.”
The phalaśruti
The Kalki Purāṇa states the fruits of this stotra.
- Hearing or reciting it gives svarga, yaśas (fame) and āyur-dāya (a long life).
- Reciting it at prātaḥkāla (dawn), madhyāhna (midday) and sāyaṃkāla (evening) gives Gaṅgā-sāmīpya (nearness to Gaṅgā).
- It destroys all pāpa.
- It increases bala (strength) and āyuḥ (length of life).
Sources
- Kalki Purāṇa, Tritīyāmśa, Chapter 20