#Ganga jamuna saraswati sangam photos pro#

While many believe that Ganga`s waters wash away the effects of evil they may have done, Buddha, who lived and taught in the river`s vicinity, frowned on the claim. Because she came out of Jahnu`s knee, she would henceforth be called Jahnvi. After she emerged, Gangapaid her obeisance to the mighty sage, addressing him as her f ather and asking to be called his daughter. In great distress, Bhagirath (on whose behalf Ganga had descended on earth) sounded his conch once more, and out came Ganga from Jahnu`s belly and through his knee, much to the old man`s surprise.

Outraged, Jahnu drank all of Ganga in one mouthful. On one occasion, Sen quotes a Puranic legend as saying: `She was lured to the quarters of the great sage Jahnu at the sound of the propitiatory conch, and flooded his ashram. On her journey to earth from heaven, Ganga went through several difficult moments. Ganges: The Many Pasts of an Indian River, published by Yale University in 2019, is a book to read. Leading historian Sudipta Sen has written an absorbing book on the many facets of Ganga, its geological evolution, the numerous mythologies surrounding its origins, and the role the river played in the political conflicts between ancient Indian kingdoms. The idea made Bhau, a believer,sit up and ponder. Bless my soul, if there`s a soul,` Inveterate agnosticism is common in South Asia despite the overwhelming prevalence of religion. He had smiled when I shared a Bertrand Russell-like quote with him: `O God, if there`s a God. For the salvation of Bhau`s soul one would want the story to be true. It`s a local tradition that believes Lord Ram during his exile travelled there and shot an arrow into the ground from where a sacred spring gushed forth. Bhau`s sister took his ashes not to River Ganga but to a water body called Baanganga in Mumbai. But he couldn`t curehis own galloping brain cancer, and passed away in Delhi as one held his hand during the last days at our home.

#Ganga jamuna saraswati sangam photos pro#

Recently, one performed the last rites of a Brahmin relative, a selfless doctor, professor at one of Mumbai`s leading medical colleges who never tired of pro bono work f or the needy. Not every Hindu goes to the Ganga for salvation. It`s not clear how Godse`s ashes were retrieved, if they were, af ter his secret cremation at a remote riverbank. Nathuram Godse, hanged for killing Gandhi, wanted his ashes to be immersed in the Indus after the Pakistani river returned to India. Prime Minister Modi is there, for example, communalising the lore of Ganga. In India, the politics of rivers is hitched to stirred emotions. We`ve known of global and domestic disputes over the sharing of river waters.

Ganga is regarded by orthodox Hindus as the holiest of seven rivers that wash away the sins of their devotees, the others being Narmada, Jamuna, Godavari, Kaveri, the mythical Saraswati and Indus. `Manrnohan Brij ko rasiya.` That Muslim singers sang memorable compositions to Hindu gods underpins the tragedy being inflicted by India`s ruling zealots who find it inexpedient to hear of how large swathes of both communities have lived culturally intertwined for centuries. Faiyyaz Khan composed a persuasive praise for Krishna in Raag Paraj. Agra gharana`s Sharafat Husain Khan would sing an evocative composition in Raag Yarnan to Shiva: `Darshan deo Shankar Mahadev.` Ram is petitioned persistently for help in Rasoolan Bai`s music. The legends have spawned musical overtures. Jamuna is associated with Krishna`s hearttugging pranks and miracles. Saryu in Ayodhya is the river into which Lord Ram immersed himself af ter finishing his work on earth. In India, Ganga is associated with Shiva`s prowess. Ancient deity Khnum, lord of water, created humans from the mud of the Nile flood. Herodotus summarised the importance of the Nile to the Egyptians saying: `Egypt is the gift of the Nile`. The deities of the Greek pantheon swore all their oaths upon the mythical Styx that flowed in the underworld. RIVERS everywhere come with myths and legends.