GANGA

This episode happened long before I was born…long before my father was born…and his father… I don’t remember the exact date…

Deep in the mysterious valleys of The Himalayas Devarshi Narad was passing by. This was not his usual route. But since Lord Shiva was missing (usual habit of Lord Shiva owing to his excessive forgetfulness while in meditation) and it was Devarshi’s turn to find him at the request of Mata Parvati, he did not want to leave any stone unturned. In any case, that particular day, Devarshi came across some celestial beings (not to be confused with aliens) who he had never met before. They were sad, withdrawn and had an aura of dejection around them. Devarshi is normally a cheerful person and believes in inducing high spirit to people with his mesmerizing depiction of Lord Vishnu in his prayers. But that day he was unsuccessful. He felt as if he is also being drawn into a sea of sadness. What was more disconcerting was that some of the celestial beings were missing some of their limbs and were in deep pain. Questioned, the celestial beings answered, “we are the souls of music and rhythm. When a musician plays music without rhythm our natural balance gets distorted and we get hurt. Secondly, with music both the musician and the listeners find a way to immerse into the heavenly peace adorned by The Almighty, which is also music’s sole purpose. Many musicians in the universe have not recognized this and have been playing music for the sole purpose of entertainment.  Devoid of the  celestial peace for a long time as well as being hurt, has caused us misery and has led to the disappearance of our limbs with which music is dispersed. Devarshi, being a musician, started to get worried. “There must be some way you could get yourself back”…

“There is a way, but it’s next to impossible.”

“Well give it to me and I’ll try.”

“If the greatest singer in the universe could sing for us just for one time and let us immerse in that celestial peace for a moment, we will all fully rejuvenate.”

Devarshi knew that Lord Shiva is the greatest singer in the world. Added with this new pressure apart from Mata Parvati’s request Devashi increased his speed… “be right back”.

After a day’s work Devarshi finally located Lord Shiva hidden under a mound and prayed to him to open his eyes. When Lord Shiva opened his merciful eyes, Devarshi hurriedly passed on his request. Lord Shiva’s immediate reaction is unknown. However, he eventually agreed to it with the condition that he needs at least one listener who would fully immerse himself in his music. They were two…Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu… excitement bewildered them when Devarshi gave them the news about Lord Shiva’s singing.  

Everyone gathered at Mount Kailas…everyone who heard of the news came to listen to Lord Shiva. With his divine voice Lord Shiva started to sing…Mata Saraswati assisted him with her Veena.

Anyone who listened to this music found themselves in the embrace of eternal peace…immortal in the everlasting rhythm of Lord Shiva. The effect of the music created Rutu Vasant on Earth…Koyals purified and honed their voices indulging into the notes of this music…

Something else also happened during this…

Lord Vishnu was so immersed in the music that his body started to melt with Lord Shiva’s rhythms. Lord Brahma, noticing this, caught the melting toe of Lord Vishnu in his Kamandalu. This melting toe of Lord Vishnu is known as Ganga. When King Bhagiratha prayed for the salvation of The Sagaras, his ancestors, Lord Brahma invoked Ganga to cascade down to earth to emancipate the soul of The Sagaras... and further generations of humanity.

Since Ganga is a part of Lord Vishnu, she is so sacred…if you are a Hindu and you want to start your pilgrimage to the shrines of Badri and Kedar you will need to purify yourself at Har-ki-Paudi… by taking a holy dip in the turquoise-blue pristine waters of Ganga…chanting ‘Ganga Maiyya Ki Jai’.

However, what bothers me most is why Lord Shiva has not decided to sing once more to induce humanity toward a peaceful fraternity yet…seems like a quick fix. It is the agenda of my conversation when I meet him next time…or possibly meet Devarshi Narad. Currently Lord Shiva is hidden again…in meditation…in some secluded chapter of The Himalayas…

Jai Jagannatha

Ganga from the Sandhana Hills, Tehri Garhwal

                                               Courtesy: Ramakanta Patra