The Story of Ganesa: 11. The Ganga of the South | INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

 

The Story of Ganesa: 11. The Ganga of the South | INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

The Story of Ganesa: 11. The Ganga of the South

After his meeting with Bhairava, the god of the tribals in the valley south of the Vindhyas, Vighneswara continued his journey on his mouse mount. He was sad to notice that the vast area lying further south was barren, unlike the green stretches he had seen in the northern areas. He found the people looking skywards and praying for rain to bring relief to the parched lands. He heard them remark: “How fortunate are the people in the north! They are blessed with River Ganga! O Supreme Lord! We’re not asking for the Ganga. If only you will divert a part of its waters, we will consider ourselves twice-blessed! Please have mercy on us, O Lord!”

As he looked down on the drought-affected land mass, Vighneswara could see the ashram of sage Gautama as an oasis in a desert. However, instead of visiting the revered muni,Vighneswara asked his mount to proceed northward.

An unfortunate quarrel was then going on between Parvati and Ganga. The sage Narada was the one who had instigated the quarrel. He went and told Parvati how the river would become holy when thousands of devas took a dip during the Ganga festival. Naturally, Parvati felt envious of Ganga. The sage then went to Ganga and told her that Parvati was intending to purify the river after the devas had taken a dip in its waters. Ganga was upset.

So, when Parvati went to worship Ganga and offer flowers, Ganga was infuriated. “Stop it! Don’t pollute my waters!” she shouted at Parvati. Her anger did not subside with that. Suddenly, there was a spate and the river began overflowing. The entire northern region was in floods.

The devas were perturbed on seeing this quarrel. Vighneswara went up to sage Narada, and said, “You’re responsible for this state of affairs, O sage!”

To this the sage retorted, “Think of the good things that have happened as a result of such quarrels!”

Vighneswara then proceeded to Kailas where he prostrated before his mother and said, “Mother, I wish to do a good deed. May I have your blessings?”

“Tell me, what do you want to do?” Parvati enquired.

“Mother, I’ve just seen the region south of the Vindhyas,” explained Vighneswara. “The place suffers from acute drought. It is pitiful to look at the parched land. If only Mother Ganga would be kind enough to spare some water, the region and the people there would be saved.”

“What shall I say, my son?” remarked Parvati. “It is up to you to make all efforts. I know you can do it!”

“I need only your assurance and blessings, Mother,” said Vighneswara, who once again prostrated before Parvati and departed.

Now heading towards the ashram of Gautama, Vighneswara took the form of a cow about to give birth to a calf. The sage got angry when he saw the cow that had strayed into his garden. He took some water from his kamandalu and threw it at the cow, which immediately fainted and fell down. Full of remorse, the sage prayed for a long time, but the cow did not get up.

Sage Narada went and reported the incident to Lord Indra, who had been nurturing ill will towards sage Gautama ever since he married Ahalya. Lord Brahma had created this beautiful woman, and Indra had a desire to make her his wife. However, Brahma gave her in marriage to Gautama.

Indra now started a propaganda against sage Gautama that he was responsible for the death of a cow, and that the ashram had become an unholy place, polluted. He went on to suggest that the ashram could be purified only if river Ganga was brought to cleanse the ashram and wash the body of the holy cow.

Gautama sat for a severe tapas, meditating on Ganga. At last she was pleased, and as per his request, she followed him as he walked towards his ashram. Wherever Ganga placed her foot on, the place became the source of a river. By the time Ganga reached Gautama’s ashram, the flow came down in full force. The cow now got up as if it was waking up after a sleep and in no time disappeared. Where the cow was now stood Vighneswara.

“Mother!” he addressed Ganga. “Won’t you pardon this son of yours? It was a ruse that I thought of for bringing your holy waters to this region south of the Vindhyas. It was thirsting for water. You’ve now blessed the land and you’ve also saved the life of a cow (go). Now you will be known in these parts as Godavari!”

The people of the region were all praise for Gautama, as he was responsible for Ganga coming down the Himalayas and flowing over the southern region. Lord Indra, who wanted to take revenge on Gautama by giving him an impossible task, now came and apologised to him. Vighneswara appeared before the sage and said, “O revered sage! I gave you a lot of trouble, but I am happy that everything has ended well. Godavari will also be known after you as Gautami.”