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Line 27: − + − The Lord also described in detail how people can get deliverance from their papas by bathing in the sacred waters of the Ganga. Devi Ganga then asked the Lord about how to free herself from the papas that people will cast in her. And when she would return to the parama pada (highest abode) of Vishnu. + − Sri Hari then enumerated that when Ganga would descend as a river, she will gain the salt ocean who is an amsha of Hari himself, as her husband as she is herself of the nature of Lakshmi. And in this way, Ganga would have to remain in Bharata for a period of five thousand years (due to the curse of Bharati).+ − + − Whatever sins will be cast in Thee by thousand sinners bathing in Thee will be destroyed by the touch of the devotees of Prakriti Devî. Even if thousands and thousands of sinners touch the dead bodies and bath in Thee, all those will be destroyed when the Devî Bhaktas,the worshippers of Bhuvanes'varî and Mâyâ Vîja, will come and touch Thee. O Auspicious One! Thou wilt wash away the sins of the sinners, by Thy stay in Bhârata with other best rivers Sarasvatî and others. That will be at once a sacred place of pilgrimage where Thy glories will be chanted. + − Thus having enumerated the glory of Ganga, Sri Hari instructed Bhagiratha to worship Ganga Devi with devotion and chant hymns in her praise. The pure Bhagiratha also meditated with devotion as per Kauthuma Shakha and worshipped the Devi and praised her repeatedly. Then Ganga and Bhagiratha bowed down to Sri Krshna as he disappeared at once from their sight.<ref>Swami Vijnananda, [https://archive.org/details/srimaddevibhagav26vijnuoft/page/846 The Srimad Devi Bhagavtam], The Sacred Books of the Hindus (Volume 26, Part 3), Edited by Major B.D.Basu, Third Edition, Allahabad.</ref>+ − == Ganga Mahatmya ==+ − O Nârada! It is stated thus in the Vedas, that if the human souls, taking their births in Bhârata, commit sins for millions and millions of births, the sins will be completely destroyed if they touch once the air in contact with and carrying the particles of the Ganges. The sight of the Ganges and the touch of the Ganges water give religious merits ten times more than the touch with the air in contact with the Ganges water. People become freed of their sins then and there especially if they bathe in the Ganges. It is heard in the S'rutis that the bathing in the Ganges, if done according to rules, destroys all the sins, e.g., the murder of a Brâhmin, etc., acquired in one thousand millions of births done consciously or unconsciously. The merits that are acquired by the bathing in the Ganges on a day of religious merit, cannot be described even by the Vedas. Whatever is mentioned in the Âgamas is but a mere trifle. Even Brahmâ, Visnu and Mahes'a cannot describe fully the merits of the bathing in the Ganges. O Brâhmin! Such is the glory of ordinary bathing. Now I will describe the effect of the Ganges bath done with a Sankalpa (resolve); hear. Ten times more the result is obtained when the Ganges bathing is done with a resolve (Sankalpa) than ordinary bath and if one bathes on the day when the sun passes from one sign to another (in the Zodiac), thirty times more religious merits accrue. On the new Moon (Amâvyas) day, the Ganges bath gives the merits as above mentioned; but when the Sun is in his Southern course (Daksinâyana) double the merits are obtained and when the sun is in his Northern course, ten times more religious merits are obtained. The Ganges bathing in the time of Châturmâsya, full Moon day, Aksayâ Navamî or Aksayâ trittîyâ yields merits that cannot be measured. And if on the above Parva (particular periods of the year on which certain ceremonies are commanded) days both bathing, and making over gifts are done, there is no limit to the religious merits acquired; hundred times more than ordinary bath, religious merits are obtained. Great religious merits accrue from the Ganges bath on Manvantarâ tithi, Yugâdyâ, S'uklâ seventh day of the month of Mâgha, Bhîsmâstamî day, As'okâstamî day, and S’rî Râma Navamî day. Again double the merits than those of the above arise from bathing in the Ganges during the Nandâ ceremony. The Gauges bath in the Das'aharâ tenth tithi gives merits equivalent to Yugâdyâ Snânam (bath). And if the bathing be done on Mahânandâ or in Mahâvârunî day, four times more religious merits accrue. Ten million times more religious merits accrue from the Ganges bathing on Mahâ Mahâ Vârunî day than ordinary bath. The Ganges bath in the Solar eclipse yields ten times more religious merits than in the Lunar eclipse. Again the Snânam in Ardhodaya Yoga yields hundred times more religious merits than that of the (solar) eclipse. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
→Ganga Mahatmya: Editing
Lord Sri Krshna then addressed Ganga saying,
Lord Sri Krshna then addressed Ganga saying,
“O Sureshvari ! Go quickly and appear in Bharata, under the curse of Bharati. By my command go quickly and purify the sons of Sagara. They will all be purified by the touch of the air in contact with the Ganges and rise up in divine aerial cars, assuming forms like mine and they will come to my abode. They will there remain always as my attendants and they will not be involved in the papas that they committed in their previous births."
“O Sureshvari ! Go quickly and appear in Bharata, under the curse of Bharati. By my command go quickly and purify the sons of Sagara. They will all be purified by the touch of the air in contact with the Ganges and rise up in divine aerial cars, assuming forms like mine and they will come to my abode. They will remain there always as my attendants and they will not be involved in the papas that they committed in their previous births."
In this context, the Lord also described in detail how people can get deliverance from their papas by bathing in the sacred waters of the Ganga. He further says,
O Auspicious One ! You will wash away the papas of the papis, by your stay in Bharata with other best rivers Sarasvati and others. That will be at once a sacred place of pilgrimage where your glories will be chanted.
The Lord also said that the inhabitants of Bharata will praise and worship her with great devotion with the very stotra that was composed by Bhagiratha.
The Lord also said that the inhabitants of Bharata will praise and worship her with great devotion with the very stotra that was composed by Bhagiratha.
Devi Ganga then asked the Lord about how to free herself from the papas that people will cast in her. And when she would return to the parama pada (highest abode) of Vishnu.
To this the lord replied that, whatever papas will be cast in her by thousand of papis bathing in her will be destroyed by the touch of the devotees of Prakrti Devi. Even if thousands and thousands of papis touch the dead bodies and bath in her, all those will be destroyed when Devi Bhaktas, the worshippers of Bhuvaneshvari and Maya Vija, will come and touch her.
Sri Hari also enumerated that when Ganga would descend as a river, she will gain the salt ocean who is an amsha of Hari himself, as her husband as she is herself of the nature of Lakshmi. And in this way, Ganga would have to remain in Bharata for a period of five thousand years (due to the curse of Bharati).
Thus having enumerated the glory of Ganga, Sri Hari then instructed Bhagiratha to worship Ganga Devi with devotion and chant hymns in her praise. The pure Bhagiratha also meditated with devotion as per Kauthuma Shakha, worshipped the Devi and praised her repeatedly. Then Ganga and Bhagiratha bowed down to Sri Krshna as he disappeared at once from their sight.<ref name=":1">Swami Vijnananda, [https://archive.org/details/srimaddevibhagav26vijnuoft/page/846 The Srimad Devi Bhagavtam], The Sacred Books of the Hindus (Volume 26, Part 3), Edited by Major B.D.Basu, Third Edition, Allahabad.</ref>
== गङ्गामाहात्म्यम् ॥ Ganga Mahatmya ==
In the 9th Skandha (Chapter 11) of the Devi Bhagavata, Lord Narayana describes the greatness of Ganga and her waters. It is stated therein that,
* People taking birth in Bharata who have committed papa for millions and millions of births, their papa will be completely destroyed if they touch, once, the air in contact with and carrying the particles of the Ganges. While, the sight of the Ganges and the touch of the Ganges water give religious merits ten times more than the touch with the air in contact with the Ganges water. And if they bathe in the Ganges, people become freed of their papa then and there.
=== गङ्गास्नानम् ॥ Ganga Snana ===
It is heard in the shrutis that bathing in the Ganges, if done according to rules, destroys all the papa acquired over one thousand millions of births, done consciously or unconsciously. Speaking of the greatness of Ganga Snana, it is said that the merits that are acquired by bathing in the Ganges on a day of religious merit, cannot be described even by the Vedas. Whatever is mentioned in the Agamas is in fact, just the tip of the iceberg. Even Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesha cannot describe fully the merits of bathing in the Ganges. Lord Narayana himself, in the Devi Bhagavata, describes the effect of the Ganges bath done with a Sankalpa (resolve). He says,
* Ten times more is the result obtained when the Ganges bath is done with a resolve (Sankalpa) than ordinarily. And if one bathes on the day when the sun passes from one sign to another (in the Zodiac), thirty times more religious merits accrue.
* On the new Moon (Amavasya) day, the Ganges bath gives the merits as above mentioned; but when the Sun is in his Southern course (Dakshinayana) double the merits are obtained and when the sun is in his Northern course, ten times more religious merits are obtained.
* Ganges bath in the time of Chaturmasya, full Moon day, Akshaya Navami or Akshaya trtiya yields merits that cannot be measured. And if on the above days both bathing, and making over gifts are done, there is no limit to the religious merits acquired; hundred times more than ordinary bath, religious merits are obtained.
* Great religious merits accrue from the Ganges bath on Manvantara tithi, Yugadya, Shukla seventh day of the month of Magha, Bhishmashtami day, Ashokashtami day, and Sri Rama Navami day. Again double the merits than those of the above arise from bathing in the Ganges during the Nanda ceremony.
* The Ganges bath in the Dashahara tenth tithi gives merits equivalent to Yugadya Snana. And if the bath be done on Mahananda or in Mahavaruni day, four times more religious merits accrue.
* Ten million times more religious merits accrue from the Ganges bath on Maha Maha Varuni day than ordinary bath.
* The Ganges bath in the Solar eclipse yields ten times more religious merits than in the Lunar eclipse. Again the Snana in Ardhodaya Yoga yields hundred times more religious merits than that of the (solar) eclipse.<ref name=":1" />
By the touch of the dust of Thine, the sinner will be at once purified and he will dwell in the Devî-loka (Mani Dvîpa) for as many years as will be the dust there. All Hail to the Devî Bhuvanes'varî! He who will leave his body on Thy lap with full consciousness and remembering My name, will certainly go to My abode and will remain, as My chief attendant for an infinite period. He will see countless Prâkritik Layas (dissolutions of the Universe). Unless a man has collected hordes of religious merits, be cannot die in the Ganges; and if he dies on the Ganges he goes to Vaikuntha as long as the Sun rises in this world. I get many bodies for him where he can enjoy the fruits of his Karma and I then give him My Svârûpya (Form resembling Mine) and make him My attendant. If any ignorant man, void of any Jñânam, quits his body by touching merely Thy water, I give him Sâlokya (place in My region) and make him My attendant. Even if one quits one's body in a far off place, uttering Thy Name, I give him place in My region for one life time of Brahmâ. And if he remembers Thee with devotion, and quits his mortal coil at another place, I give him Sârûpya (Form resembling Mine) for a period of endless Prâkritik Layas. He instantly gets on an aerial car made of jewels and goes with My attendants to the region of Goloka and gets form like Me. Those that worship daily My Mantra, that pass their day eating the remnant of the food offered to Me, they need not have any distinction whether they die in Tîrath or not. They themselves can easily purify the three worlds. Getting on the excellent and best aerial car built of jewels, they go to the region of Goloka. O Chaste One! Even if the friends of My devotees, be born in animal births, they also will be purified by the devotion shown towards Me and getting on a jewelled aerial car will be able to go to Goloka, so diffcult of access. Wherever the Bhaktas may be, if they simply remember Me with devotion, they will become liberated while living by the power of My Bhakti.
By the touch of the dust of Thine, the sinner will be at once purified and he will dwell in the Devî-loka (Mani Dvîpa) for as many years as will be the dust there. All Hail to the Devî Bhuvanes'varî! He who will leave his body on Thy lap with full consciousness and remembering My name, will certainly go to My abode and will remain, as My chief attendant for an infinite period. He will see countless Prâkritik Layas (dissolutions of the Universe). Unless a man has collected hordes of religious merits, be cannot die in the Ganges; and if he dies on the Ganges he goes to Vaikuntha as long as the Sun rises in this world. I get many bodies for him where he can enjoy the fruits of his Karma and I then give him My Svârûpya (Form resembling Mine) and make him My attendant. If any ignorant man, void of any Jñânam, quits his body by touching merely Thy water, I give him Sâlokya (place in My region) and make him My attendant. Even if one quits one's body in a far off place, uttering Thy Name, I give him place in My region for one life time of Brahmâ. And if he remembers Thee with devotion, and quits his mortal coil at another place, I give him Sârûpya (Form resembling Mine) for a period of endless Prâkritik Layas. He instantly gets on an aerial car made of jewels and goes with My attendants to the region of Goloka and gets form like Me. Those that worship daily My Mantra, that pass their day eating the remnant of the food offered to Me, they need not have any distinction whether they die in Tîrath or not. They themselves can easily purify the three worlds. Getting on the excellent and best aerial car built of jewels, they go to the region of Goloka. O Chaste One! Even if the friends of My devotees, be born in animal births, they also will be purified by the devotion shown towards Me and getting on a jewelled aerial car will be able to go to Goloka, so diffcult of access. Wherever the Bhaktas may be, if they simply remember Me with devotion, they will become liberated while living by the power of My Bhakti.