34 - The birth of Jahnavi

Sri Krishna said- In the meantime Shiva arrived there had a smiling face and was riding on the bull. He had applied ashes on his body and was clad in the tiger skin. He has the serpents for yajnopavita and had matted locks of hair in golden shade on the head, which was adorned with the crescent. He held, a trident, the pattisa and the best of Khatvanga in his hand. He carried a musical instrument made of the best of gems. He delight-fully descended from the vehicle and bowing his head with devotion, he offered his salutation to Krishna the lord of Kamala and took his seat to his left-. 

Thereafter, all the gods including Indra, the sages, the Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Manus, Siddhas and Charanas also arrived there. All of them felt emotional and offered prayer to Purushottama. Thereafter all the gods bowed in reverence to the lord Shiva. 

Thereafter, Shiva started music in sweet tone playing on musical instrument. 

Thereafter the virtues of both of us including the praise of the divine dance of Krishna were sung. The music which influenced the mind at that point of time and the song sung with apt attention of the throat, in a pleasant sweet tone, keeping in mind, the high and low pitch, the praise of both of us was sung in one and the same tune and pleasant rhyme scheme. The singing continued which provided bliss which was beyond the comprehension of the people of the universe. 

All present there were overwhelmed and the tears of joy started issuing from their eyes. With the hearing of the blissful song and music, all of them felt fainted. 

О dear one, all the sages including Brahma, Vishnu, the courtier, Lakshmi and the singers attained the form of Shiva at that point of time. The entire Vaikuntha was flooded with water. О goddess, I felt panicky at the sight. 

Thereafter reaching there, I restored all the images (body) to their original position including their form, the weapons, the vehicles and the ornaments.

Their nature, the mind and the worldly pleasure were also restoring as originals; the water of deluge was spread around the Vaikuntha. 

Thereafter the goddess Ganga herself arrived there which happened to be her abode. Since she was created out of the bodies of the gods she came to be known as the divine river Gangs. 

She bestowed salvation to those who sought for salvation and the devotion to the devotee of the lord, with the touch of the breeze flowing on the water of Ganga, the sins of all the sinners accumulated during the past crores of births, disappear. О lady of my life I do not know the reward one gets by touching it or looking at it.

But I shall tell you the merit one achieved by having a dip in the sacred waters of the Ganga? Pushkara region is considered to be the best of the sacred pieces of the world and the same sacred place does not compare even to the sixteenth part of the Ganga. She was brought on earth by Bhagiratha earning her the name of Bhagirathi.

She arrived here on earth only in one part and that is why she was known as Ganga. In earlier times the sage Jahnu drank the water of Ganga in rage and thereafter he released it by cutting his knee. Because of this, she came to be known as Jahnavi. Bhishma the amsha of Vasu was himself born out of her womb and as such she was came to be known as Bhishmajanani. 

At my command the Ganga started flowing in three streams in the heaven, the earth and the neither world which earned her the name of Tripathagamini. 

Its main stream in the heaven earned her the name of Mandakini which is the thousand yojanas in length and ten yojanas in width. 

Her water is like the milk and has high waves in water. Flowing from Vaikuntha to Brahmaloka it reached the heaven. 

The stream of the Ganga which arrived over Himalaya from the heaven and then descended on earth ultimately falling into the saline water of the ocean, came to be known by the name of Alaknanda. It had the spotless clean water which moves with great speed and serves as a dry wood for burning the sins of the sinners in fire.

It was she who provided salvation to the sons of Sagara. It serves as a beautiful step for achieving the heaven. 

This is the reason that at the time of death the water of Ganga is poured into the mouth of the noble people. 

Climbing the step in the form of Ganga, the noble people achieve Vaikuntha. They reach straight at Vaikuntha crossing Brahmaloka. In case, someone is drowned in the waters of Ganga, because of his earlier good deeds then he achieves the highest abode of the lord and resides there up to the number of ears equivalent to the number of hairs on his body, where he remains with pleasure. 

Thereafter he has to face the result of his good or bad deeds and the time for them was passing quickly. 

Thereafter they are born in good family on the land of Bharata and achieving the deep devotion of the lord take to his form ultimately. 

In case per chance the bodies of the noble Brahmanas are carried by the Shudras, then they have to remain in the hell for the number of the feet they walk on earth carrying the body but this sacred Ganga with the deform of Narayana, Kamsa rescue to those people and provide salvation to them, she makes such people to be born in the high families in Bharata for three births and thereafter she makes them achieves the heaven. 

The one who travels to have a dip in the Ganga for purification, he achieves the bliss of the heaven for the number of feet with which he walks on the ground,

In case a sinner reaching the Ganga partially takes a bath, such a person is relieved of all the sins, unless he does not himself resort again to the sinful ways. In the age of Kaliyuga, the Ganga shall remain on earth for five thousand years and till such time she remains on earth the age of Kali will have little influence. 

In the age of Kali my images shall remain on earth for ten thousand years and for that duration the Puranas will also remain on earth. As such there will be little influence of the age of Kali.

The flow of Ganga reaches the nether world which earns her the name of Bhogavati. Her water remains spotless like the milk and always flows with great speed, she always serves as an abode for the diamonds and gems as well as the sages and the female serpent girls always play over her bank. The Ganga herself has surrounded Vaikuntha from all sides which is a lakh of yojanas in length and a thousand yojanas in width. 

This daughter of mine never gets destroyed even at the time of dissolution of the world. Her banks are always charming, divine and the store-houses for the gems.

Thus, I have narrated to you the story of the birth of the Ganga. Now you listen to me the method by which Brahma was relieved of the curse of Mohini.