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.