Ganga Mayya

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Jai Ganga Mayya 

Gangaji flows down from Lord Shiva's jata and carries with Her the spiritual power of the Lord's Tapas! She is decorated around Bharat Mata like a beautiful garland! She spreads the most wonderful message of the Rishis all over the holy land like gentle wafts of fragrance!


Just by bathing in Her ice-cold waters, Sadhus lose body consciousness and can be seen immersed in deep meditation on Her banks. It is such a wonderful sight to behold! Anyone who dares to enter her swift, swirling and freezing waters will surely come out experiencing greatly rejuvenated - spiritually, physically and emotionally! Devotees crushed by the miseries of the world find great relief by having a soothing dip in the gentle and caressing Mother.


Gangaji starts Her earthly sojourn from an icy cave in the Himalayas known as Gaumukh. It is so named because the cave appears as the mouth of a cow. Behind Gaumukh is the vast Gangotri glacier. The melting glacier makes its way out of this place. What a beautiful play of the Divine Mother Gangaji! Tapovan, the greatest place resorted to by great Tapasvis since ancient times, lies just beyond Gaumukh.


Gangaji roars very loudly, smashing massive rocks to dust. Her roar can be heard constantly in the background. During the early morning hours, Her roar is like Omkar, and sends the Sadhus living on Her banks into deep states of Atman Consciousness.


As She makes Her way through the Himalayas, She spreads Her purifying grace all over the mountains and valleys and sanctifies many holy Teerthas like Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Uttarkashi, Devprayag, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, etc. The rainy season in the Himalayas presents a beautiful play of Gangaji - as She dashes against rocks, clouds of mist rise from Her bosom. Winds carry these clouds away which get stuck on mountain tops, causing further rains.



She exits the Himalayas and enters into the plains at Rishikesh. Just 20 Kms away from Rishikesh is Haridwar. Both these pilgrimage centres are well known as the blessed Tapo-bhumi of countless saints and sages since the time of Satya yuga. The evening Ganga arati at Har-ki-pauri in Haridwar is world-famous for its devotional spirit. The soul-enchanting "Jai Gange Mata" song played out on loud speakers during the arati creates a breath-taking environment and transports all devotees to heavenly levels of ecstasy.


She carries enormous quantities of minerals from the Himalayan rocks providing great nourishment to the plains of North India for agriculture to flourish. In Prayagraj, She meets Her sister Yamunaji. This is the most holy Sangam where the brownish muddy waters of Gangaji meet the dark waters of Yamunaji. What a wonder! The sisters start-off very close to each other in the Himalayas but meet here, more than 1,000 Kms away! This place holds a special significance and is known as Prayagraj - king of confluences. Prayagraj is world-famous for Kumbh Mela, during which more than 10 million devotees visit to have a holy dip at the Sangam.


Further downstream She passes through the holiest and most ancient pilgrim centre Kashi! Numerous ghats dot the banks of this holy place, the most famous being Manikarnika ghat. The Lord of Kashi is Shiva Himself. Here He is known as Kashi Vishwanath. 


The place where Gangaji merges into the sea is known as Gangasagar. During Makara Sankranthi, millions of pilgrims visit this place for the annual festival and to have a holy dip.


Gangaji has been providing tremendous spiritual and material nourishment to the ancient land of Bharat since time immemorial. She holds a cherished place in the hearts of more than 1.25 billion Indians as the most adorable Divine Mother - the loving and caressing Ganga Mayya!


Blessed are those who think of Ganga Mayya! Twice blessed are those who get to have Her darshan! Thrice blessed are those who have a holy dip in the loving Mother! Most blessed are those devotees who lose themselves in God consciousness after the holy dip!!! May Ganga Mayya bless everyone of Her children so that they get to experience Her divine love at least once in their lifetime!


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