Ganga (गङ्गा)

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Ganga (Samskrit: गङ्गा) is the highly revered river of Bharata.

उत्पत्तिः ॥ Origin

Ganga had her origin during the Vamana avatara (incarnation) of Mahavishnu. It is said that, when Vamana measured the three worlds in three steps the nails on his left feet were raised high. They caused a pore on the upper side of the universe. And Ganga, starting from the finger of Vishnu's feet fell in heaven. This story finds a mention in the Bhagavata Purana. Refer to Bhagavatpadi section for more details.

भगवत्पदी ॥ Bhagavatpadi

In the Yajna performed by Raja Bali, Lord Vishnu himself appeared as Trivikrama (Vamana) and asked for three feet of land as dana. However, standing there, the Lord covered the entire earth by his right foot - the first feet. He raised the left foot to measure the heavenly regions when the upper portion of the cosmos got cracked by the nail of the big toe of his left foot. Through that opening, rushed in the stream of waters, covering externally the cosmos. The waters washed the lotus-like feet of the Lord and thus became reddish by the pollen-like dust on the Lord’s feet. The waters washed away dirt, in the form of the papa of the whole world, by her touch and yet, herself remained pure (unpolluted by papa). She was, at first, designated as Bhagavatpadi (born from the feet of the Lord) to the exclusion of other epithets like Jahnavi, Bhagirathi etc. After a long period of time, measured in thousands of yugas, she descended on the top of the celestial regions which the sages call Vishnupada. This story of the river Ganga appears in 5th Skandha (Chapter 17) of the Bhagavata Purana.

विष्णुपदी ॥ Vishnupadi

The famous Viṣṇupadī, the flowing water (tīrtha) of which washes away the sins of the people in the universe is the very same gaṅgā under discussion. For many yugas (eras) this river confined itself to the heights of the sky, otherwise called viṣṇupada. This particular spot is known as Dhruvamaṇḍala as it is here that dhruva, son of King uttānapāda, does, his penance. The seven sages who constantly go round and round the Dhruvamaṇḍala take their bath in this holy river. The course of the river is thus: starting from viṣṇupada it falls on devayāna glittering with crores of vimānas and therefrom it descends on Candramaṇḍala which it submerges. It follows its course again from there dividing itself into four tributaries called sītā, cakṣus, alakanandā and bhadrā and then falls in Brahmaloka wherefrom it flows in all directions. Of the four tributaries sītā falls on the head of Mount Meru, flows down to gandhamādana, then circling through bhadrāśva varṣa falls into the eastern sea. cakṣus falls on the peaks of mount mālyavān, flows through ketumāla and falls into the western sea. alakanandā falls on mount hemakūṭa, flows through bhārata varṣa and falls into the southern sea. And bhadrā falls on the head of mount śṛṅgavān flows through uttarakuru and falls into the northern sea. alakanandā flows through bhārata varṣa and is regarded as the most sacred of the four tributaries.

gaṅgā which flowed through heaven fell on the earth after thousands of years of its origin. (bhāgavata, Pañcama, skandha, Chapter 17).