#ganga

[dazaicoree]

Statue of river goddess Ganga

Sena Dynasty

Bengal, 10th century CE

[shiva-artwork]

☀ GANGA DEVI ॐ ☀

“O Ganga ! You immediately destroy all sins and miseries. You bestow the ultimate happiness and the supreme liberation, for you are the ultimate shelter.”

[rhysaka]

If only Shantanu had let Ganga drown that eighth baby…………

[vishnu-art]

GANGA DEVI 🕉️🌺🙏

[sambhavami]

Women in Mahabharata - Ganga

This woman is a true enigma lying within the pages of this great epic. Elevated and identified with arguably the most-worshipped river in India, she is a woman who shines in her own right within the narrative, despite having no discernible family lineage.

According to the analysis of Dr. Bhaduri, her true story has been wrapped up in myth after myth, ranging from the encounter of the goddess Ganga and the ancient King Mahabheesha, to maybe even the Vasus' curse.

Shantanu himself probably sees her near the riverbanks, and she, too, maybe notices him. This would be before Shantanu even becomes king.

To judge the old king Pratipa's reaction, however, Ganga throws herself dramatically at the king himself to see if he would approve of her being with Shantanu.

Pratipa says to her: na cha-asavarnang kalyani dharmam tadhvi vratam cha me [i cannot marry outside my caste, as per the dharmic norms].

Now, if the lady was indeed a goddess, no sane human would ever address her as 'asavarna', since, though technically a correct descriptor, this word would most definitely be taken as an insult in that society. The use of this one word itself shatters the elaborate house of cards erected by the poet and reveals a more human form of the goddess.

However, despite turning her down for himself (probably as per Ganga's plan), Pratipa gives his blessings for her to approach Shantanu, who is, arguably, delighted.

Here, too, there is a caveat, since Shantanu and Ganga, for the years that they are together, never go to Hastinapura. Instead, they live in a hunting mansion in Gangadwara (Haridwar) where Ganga is described as a vilasini, working incessantly to keep Shantanu enamoured with her [now, why would a goddess need to do that? Urvashi, Tapati or even Devayani never did this!].

Given the drama that happens behind the scenes before Shantanu is officially crowned as the king, it is no surprise that he wasn't too eager to take a woman with no known family history back with him to the capital!

It makes one wonder what Ganga's life was like before she met the kings, that she felt it more humane to drown her first seven children than to raise them without their father's acknowledgement? Obviously, given that Shantanu never really took her 'home', Ganga probably assumed he wouldn't take responsibility for her children either.

This area is murky, since there could be a host of explanations why Ganga would not just talk to her man instead of taking such drastic measures. However, then you see how she throws herself at the old king earlier, and you wonder under what conditions she might have grown up, to have become so closed off and decisive.

Later, of course, Shantanu saves the eighth child and Ganga leaves with him, but not before she exacts a public acknowledgement from Shantanu about the child's parentage.

For the next sixteen or so years, Ganga goes from teacher to teacher, using probably Shantanu's public acceptance of her child Devavrata, to enrol him in the best schools, under Vashishtha, Vrihaspati and Parashurama, to build him up to be a worthy successor of the line that he was born in.

After nearly two decades, Shantanu runs into the young Devavrata in the forest by the river [what was he even doing, still away from his court? Did he miss Ganga that much?], who calls his mother. Interestingly, Shantanu is unable to recognise her until she introduces herself and her son [yet another hint that she was not a goddess, just a really fantastically interesting woman].

After so many years, finally, after having solved his feud with Devapi, Shantanu is able to take his first son back home to Hastinapura.

Ganga, however, declines to follow him, maybe choosing not to go to the capital now, as his ex-mistress, where she was not accepted as a queen all those years back.

She briefly turns up only to curse Amba when she realizes that the latter is actively plotting to get rid of her son.

The next and last time we see her is when Devavrata, now Bheeshma, himself is on his deathbed, and she returns just to see him off. We hear about her intention to curse Arjuna once through Uloopi when she appears in Manipur.

[tomorrowwithme]

Many say "why do y'all hindus pour milk on shiva? And watch the whole ganga and yamuna and other rivers be dirty? Why do y'all pour foods in rivers? That's just nonsense. Rather give the milk to poor people instead of wasting" It has me question too. What's the point of it? Is it even for betterment in the logical sense? Previously in ancient times there used to be some kind of tunnel that would take the milk somewhere secure apparently. But there's no such thing currently, so what does it mean?

Please understand this fact that the Hindu Bhaktas have no role in maintaining Ganga or Yamuna now. It is now the neo elites of India giving the heads up to companies to dump industrial waste there. Even two years ago, Delhi municipal corp dumped it's waste in Yamuna also in Kanpur the leather industry is one of of the main pollutants of Ganga, but when Modi government tried to crackdown on it the NGOs started crying. Speaking of which, did you know that it was during the British rule that Muslim owned abattoirs and tanneries started being built around Ganga on mass scale which led to great pollution of Ganga? ⬇️

A Hindu doing rituals was never, is not, and will never be polluting Ganga or Yamuna. In fact, scientific research has found that the Ganga possesses unique bacteriophages, the viruses that destroy harmful pathogenic bacteria, such as E. coli and cholera-causing bacteria, without affecting beneficial microbes. This antibacterial property was first observed by British bacteriologist Ernest Hankin in 1896, who noticed that cholera bacteria died rapidly in the Ganges water. Back when Londoners were dying due to the Great pollution of the Thames, Ganga was crystal clear and pure.

Most of the milk of any kshirabhisheka is stored and distributed as prasad to the devotees. Today, Westerners and Mullahs make fun of Hindus for our practice of taking a holy dip, after invading, pillaging and destroying and raping our nature. The audacity of these barbarians!!

[blondebrainpowered]

Rodney Dangerfield hosts Saturday Night Live on March 8, 1980.