Hindu Dharma has its roots deeply connected to the nature. As we all know that, Hinduism worships nature which includes; the trees, the river, the wind, the sun, the moon, etc. Hindus worship nature because it sustains humankind. Hindus worship all the 5 Elements of the nature, viz. Earth (पृथ्वी), Water (जलम्), Fire (अग्निः), Air (वायुः) & Space (आकाशः) which is also known as पञ्च महाभूतानि in Sanskrit. These 05 Elements are the most basic requirement of human life. Water that nurtures the crops on Earth comes from the rivers & the water we survive on is sourced from rivers or other such freshwater supplies. In Hinduism, Rivers (नद्याः) are considered as a manifestation of the Divine Female Power & thus has mostly female names. The rivers (नद्याः) are considered as the Divine Mothers bestowing food, water & life.
Likewise, Ganga Saptami (गंगा सप्तमी) is the festival which is based on worshipping the great sacred river Ganga. This festival is not only connected to the devotion of the devotees but, it also has its connection to our religion’s history. River Ganga is considered as the most sacred river of all the rivers because, Ganga is the heavenly river which got incarnated on our land just to sanctify our country & cleanse our sins. Hindu religion worship river Ganga as a mother.
Ganga Saptami (गंगा सप्तमी) is an auspicious day that is celebrated in honour of river Goddess Ganga. It is also known as Ganga Jayanti or Ganga Pujan. As per the Hindu History, this is the day when Goddess Ganga took rebirth on the Earth. Ganga Saptami (गंगा सप्तमी) is celebrated on the seventh day of the bright fortnight of the Vaishakha month (वैशाखः शुक्लपक्षे सप्तमी). On the occasion of Ganga Saptami (गंगा सप्तमी), the Hindu pilgrimage places where River Ganga passes, including Triveni Sangam in Allahabad & Rishikesh, a special ritual ceremony is conducted by devotees to please Goddess Ganga. It is celebrated with great enthusiasm, especially in the northern states of India.
Significance of Ganga Saptami (गंगा सप्तमी) –
For Hindus, the river Ganga is sacred & revered embodied of the Goddess Ganga. Goddess Ganga is depicted as a beautiful fair woman with a white crown, wearing a white saree, riding on the crocodile. She has four hands, in upper left hand she is holding a water-pot, rosary in upper right hand, lotus or lilies in the lower left hand & the lower right hand is in a posture of imparting blessings/ boons (वरदहस्तः). Goddess Ganga is the daughter of Mena & Himavat (the personification of the Himalaya mountains). According to the great historical epic of Mahabharata, Goddess Ganga marries King Sanatanu having a child named Devavrata who is later known as Bhisma.
The Hindu belief holds that bathing in the river on certain occasions causes the forgiveness of the sins & helps to attain salvation. Many people believe that this will come from bathing in Ganga at any time. Hindus also believe that, life is incomplete without bathing in the Ganga at least once in their lifetime. People travel from distant places to immerse the ashes of their dead relatives in the waters of the Ganga; this immersion is done with the faith that the soul will attain the Salvation (Liberation) from the cycle of birth & death.
Several sites along the banks of the river are considered sacred, especially including Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, & Varanasi. People carry sacred water of the river Ganga to their home during their visit to the banks of the river Ganga. This is done because it is auspicious to have water of the Holy Ganga in the house & also it is Hindu belief that, when a person drinks the water of river Ganga during the last breath then the soul attains the heaven. Many Hindus believe that the water from the Ganga can cleanse a person's soul from all the past sins & it can also cure the ill.
Because of the purifying nature of the river, any rituals performed on the banks of the Ganga or in its water, brings fortune & wash away the impurities of the mind, body, soul & surrounding. The waters of the Ganga are called Gangajal (गंगा जलम्) which literally means "water of the Ganga". The Puranas has mentioned that just with the sight, the name & the touch of the river Ganga cleanses one’s sins & taking a dip in the sacred river bestows heavenly blessings.
Historical account of Ganga Saptami (गंगा सप्तमी) –
According to the Puranas, once the king named Sagara who performed almost ninety-nine ashwamedha yagna (अश्वमेध-यज्ञः) for forming his supremacy & showing his might. He was looking forward to perform the hundredth yagna (यज्ञः) to maintain his winning streak. Knowing his successful record, Lord Indira got scared as he thought that Sagara will be more powerful than him & unconquerable. Therefore, Lord Indira stole the horse & hid it in the ashram of Sage Kapila to stop Sagara from succeeding.
King Sagara ordered his sixty thousand sons to search for the horse, however, none of them was able to succeed. Finally, they reach the ashram of sage Kapila where sage Kapila was meditating unaware of the presence of a horse in his ashram. The sons of King Sagara accused Sage Kapila of stealing the horse. This false accusation angered the sage Kapila a lot, hence, he cursed the sons. He burnt them into ashes & said their souls will never get departed & roam around in this world.
Years later, the prince of Sagara Dynasty named Bhagirath came to know about the curse of sage Kapila & decided to take the responsibility to release the souls of his ancestors. On the advice of his guru Trithala, he did penance for years to please Lord Brahma & he suggested that he will need to take Goddess Ganga on the earth as only her water has the power to release the souls of 60,000 ancestors from the curse of saint Kapila. So, he went to Goddess Ganga & requested her to flow on the Earth but to this, Ganga told Bhagirath that if she were to descend from the sky to the Earth, the force of her water would be difficult to sustain. She asked him to obtain the favour of the Lord Shiva, as no one except him would be able to sustain her force. Bhagirath then did severe penance to please Lord Shiva & asked him to sustain the force of Ganga when she flows to the earth, Lord Shiva granted the boon by agreeing to sustain Ganga’s force.
Later, the force of Ganga reduced after passing through the matted locks of the Lord Shiva & she took birth on the Earth on the 10th day of the bright fortnight of the Jyeshtha month (ज्येष्ठः शुक्लपक्षे दशहरा) which is known as Ganga Dusshera (गंगा दशहरा) & she got known by the name Bhagirathi, as Bhagirath is the one who brought Goddess Ganga to the Earth. While taking Ganga to the place where the souls of the ancestors of Bhagirath was, in the way due to Ganga’s force, the hermitage of sage Jhannu wiped off & the water of Ganga touched the right thigh of sage Jhannu while he was meditating. Out of anger sage Jhannu dug his right thigh & took all the water of river Ganga in his body to punish her.
After which, Bhagirath requested sage Jhannu to release Ganga & explained why he brought her to the Earth so, sage Jhannu dug his left thigh & released river Ganga on the 7th day of the bright fortnight of the Vaishakha month (वैशाखः शुक्लपक्षे सप्तमी) which is known as Ganga Saptami (गंगा सप्तमी). This was the rebirth of river Ganga on the Earth & as she was born again through the body of sage Jhannu, she is known as Jhanvi- a daughter of sage Jhannu. After her rebirth, the river Ganga liberated the souls of sixty thousand sons of king Sagar & the ancestors of Bhagirath.
Though the Goddess Ganga took birth on the Earth on the occasion of Ganga Dussehra (गंगा दशहरा), still this day of Ganga Saptami (गंगा सप्तमी) is celebrated as her birthday because this day is when the Goddess Ganga took a rebirth on the Earth.
Ritual ceremony of Ganga Saptami (गंगा सप्तमी) –
In India, worshipping river is common. Likewise, worshipping river Ganga is also widespread. Even when devotees’ visits river Ganga, they perform a ritual to worship Ganga. But, during special days like Ganga Saptami (गंगा सप्तमी) & Ganga Dusshera (गंगा दशहरा) special rituals are organised by the devotees. The celebrations & rituals performed on Ganga Saptami (गंगा सप्तमी) are very well-known in the places where Ganga & its tributaries flow.
On the day of Ganga Saptami (गंगा सप्तमी), devotees wake up before sunrise & take a dip in the river Ganga. Flowers & garland are offered to the river. The preparation for ‘Ganga Aarti’ is made at Ghats & thousands of devotees participate in this grand event. On Ganga Saptami, the ceremony of Deepadan (दीपः दानम्) (the donation of the lamps) holds significant place near the Ghats & it is considered to be the most fortunate. Huge fairs are also organized near the banks of the holy river on this day. Devotees also recite Ganga Stotras & Ganga Sahasranama Stotra on the banks of the river Ganga to please her.
Those who are unable to visit the banks of the river Ganga on this day, they arrange a ritual ceremony at home or at the temple where in a pot full of Ganga water is honoured with 16 worshipping practices (षोडश उपचारः) & a ritual lasting 2-3 hours is held on this day with great enthusiasm & devotion.
Thus, Hindus not only worship Gods & Goddesses but also worships the nature & consider the nature as Gods & Goddesses itself. As nature nurtures the crops as well as humans, Hindus always believe in protecting & preserving the nature. In the same way, Ganga is considered as the Goddess in Hindu religion & so, devotees worship her with dedication & devotion to be bestowed with happiness & salvation. We hope that like a true Hindu you too come forward & worship Goddess Ganga & let’s take an oath to keep our mother nature clean, keep our rivers clean & chemical free.
माघः शुक्लपक्षे ०७, २०७८