From Valmiki. Ganga
*
"Hymns to the Goddess", by John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon), [1913],
p. 224
Gang
(gangstotra) By Vlmki 1
1
O Mother Gang! co-wife 2 with the daughter of Himalaya,
Thou art the necklace on the dress of the Earth, 3
And the banner staff whereby one ascends to Heaven.
O Bhgrath! 4 I pray to Thee.
May my body perish after it has lived on Thy banks,
After it has drunk Thy pure water And swung on Thy waves.
And has remembered Thy name and cast looks on Thee.
2
O Mother Gang! O deliverer from Hell!
p. 225
Even a bird living in the hollow of a tree growing on Thy bank,
Even a fish or a tortoise living in Thy waters
Are greater than a King worshipped by his enemies' wives,
Made afraid by the sound of the bells on the necks of his maddened elephants. 1
3
Not even a bull or a bird or a horse,
Nor a serpent nor an elephant,
Suffer the pains of rebirth and redeath
If they live at K 2 on Thy holy banks.
Better off are they than even a Raja living elsewhere,
Fanned though he be with the "couris" 3 of courtezans, 4
Whose ever moving golden wristlets sweetly tinkle.
4
O our Supreme Lady Bhgrath! 5
O wanderer in the three regions! 6
When shall it be that I shall be fanned
By the hands of heavenly women 7 with their beautiful "couris"?
When, too, shall I be happy enough to see my body
Pecked by crows, devoured by dogs, drawn along the earth by jackals.
p. 226
Carried by Thy currents, tossed upon Thy banks,
And borne by Thy waters to and fro!
5
May the daughter of Jahnu 1 be ever victorious and protect us,
She who is like the fresh fibrous stem of the lotus-like feet of Viu, 2
Like a garland of jasmine 3 flowers on the head of iva,
Like the banner of victory of Lakm presiding over liberation,
She 4 who cleanses us of the stain of sin arising from the Kaliyuga. 5
6
May Thy sacred water be pure for my daily bathing,
Thy water covered with leaves of palm and "tamla", 6
Of "Sla" 7 and pine, with all their creepers
On which play no rays of the Sun. 7
White and brilliant, like the conch, the Moon, and the water-lily,
Stirred by the rising breasts of the wives of the Gandharvas,
p. 227
Devas, Siddhas, and Kinnaras, 1
What time they bathe therein.
7
May the water of Gang, who ever charms, sanctify us;
She who has fallen from the feet of the enemy of Mura, 2
Who wanders upon the head of the enemy of Tripur, 3
The Destructress of sins.
8
May the auspicious water of Gang ever purify us;
The Destructress of sins, the great enemy of sins,
Adorned with waves, wandering in the mountains,
Piercing through the caverns of the Lord of mountains 4
With roaring sounds.
Stealer of the dust from the feet of Lord Hari. 5
9
Whosoever at early dawn,
Having cleansed his body
And purified his mind
p. 228
Of all uncleanliness arising from the sinful Kaliyuga, 1
Reads this hymn to Gang composed of eight verses,
Shall never fall into the ocean of the world again,
But shall attain liberation.
Footnotes
224:1 From the Brihatstotraratnkara, edited by Jaganntha Mehta (Benares).
224:2 \"Sapatn". Prvat, the daughter of Himlaya, is one wife and Gang the other.
224:3 The stream is compared to a necklace of pearls on the dress of a man or woman.
224:4 So named as having been called down by Bhagratha. "Vide ante", p. 188, note 7.
225:1 When the bells are rubbed against the necks of the elephants. The picture is one of victory, pomp, and beauty.
225:2 Benares.
225:3 Whisks made of yak tails.
225:4 \"Vrastr".
225:5 See p. 188, note 7.
225:6 See p. 151, note 7.
225:7 \"Divyastr".
226:1 See p. 188, note 7.
226:2 Gang was born from the feet of Viu.
226:3 \"Mlati". Gang, on Her fall from Heaven, touched the head of iva. There Her white encircling stream is compared to a wreath.
226:4 That is, Gang.
226:5 The fourth and worst of the ages.
226:6 Names of trees. The reference to pine and palm show the descent of the stream from the Himalaya to the plains of Bengal.
226:7 In the caverns of the Himalaya.
227:1 Classes of minor divinities or "Devayoni".
227:2 That is, rka (Viu), who slew the Daitya Mura.
227:3 That is, iva, who conquered the three cities made of gold, silver, and iron of the three Asuras Kamalka, Trakaka, and Vidyunmli respectively.
227:4 Himlaya.
227:5 Viu, from whose feet She was born.
228:1 Vide ante, p. 163, note 6.
"Hymns to the Goddess", by John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon), [1913],
p. 224
Gang
(gangstotra) By Vlmki 1
1
O Mother Gang! co-wife 2 with the daughter of Himalaya,
Thou art the necklace on the dress of the Earth, 3
And the banner staff whereby one ascends to Heaven.
O Bhgrath! 4 I pray to Thee.
May my body perish after it has lived on Thy banks,
After it has drunk Thy pure water And swung on Thy waves.
And has remembered Thy name and cast looks on Thee.
2
O Mother Gang! O deliverer from Hell!
p. 225
Even a bird living in the hollow of a tree growing on Thy bank,
Even a fish or a tortoise living in Thy waters
Are greater than a King worshipped by his enemies' wives,
Made afraid by the sound of the bells on the necks of his maddened elephants. 1
3
Not even a bull or a bird or a horse,
Nor a serpent nor an elephant,
Suffer the pains of rebirth and redeath
If they live at K 2 on Thy holy banks.
Better off are they than even a Raja living elsewhere,
Fanned though he be with the "couris" 3 of courtezans, 4
Whose ever moving golden wristlets sweetly tinkle.
4
O our Supreme Lady Bhgrath! 5
O wanderer in the three regions! 6
When shall it be that I shall be fanned
By the hands of heavenly women 7 with their beautiful "couris"?
When, too, shall I be happy enough to see my body
Pecked by crows, devoured by dogs, drawn along the earth by jackals.
p. 226
Carried by Thy currents, tossed upon Thy banks,
And borne by Thy waters to and fro!
5
May the daughter of Jahnu 1 be ever victorious and protect us,
She who is like the fresh fibrous stem of the lotus-like feet of Viu, 2
Like a garland of jasmine 3 flowers on the head of iva,
Like the banner of victory of Lakm presiding over liberation,
She 4 who cleanses us of the stain of sin arising from the Kaliyuga. 5
6
May Thy sacred water be pure for my daily bathing,
Thy water covered with leaves of palm and "tamla", 6
Of "Sla" 7 and pine, with all their creepers
On which play no rays of the Sun. 7
White and brilliant, like the conch, the Moon, and the water-lily,
Stirred by the rising breasts of the wives of the Gandharvas,
p. 227
Devas, Siddhas, and Kinnaras, 1
What time they bathe therein.
7
May the water of Gang, who ever charms, sanctify us;
She who has fallen from the feet of the enemy of Mura, 2
Who wanders upon the head of the enemy of Tripur, 3
The Destructress of sins.
8
May the auspicious water of Gang ever purify us;
The Destructress of sins, the great enemy of sins,
Adorned with waves, wandering in the mountains,
Piercing through the caverns of the Lord of mountains 4
With roaring sounds.
Stealer of the dust from the feet of Lord Hari. 5
9
Whosoever at early dawn,
Having cleansed his body
And purified his mind
p. 228
Of all uncleanliness arising from the sinful Kaliyuga, 1
Reads this hymn to Gang composed of eight verses,
Shall never fall into the ocean of the world again,
But shall attain liberation.
Footnotes
224:1 From the Brihatstotraratnkara, edited by Jaganntha Mehta (Benares).
224:2 \"Sapatn". Prvat, the daughter of Himlaya, is one wife and Gang the other.
224:3 The stream is compared to a necklace of pearls on the dress of a man or woman.
224:4 So named as having been called down by Bhagratha. "Vide ante", p. 188, note 7.
225:1 When the bells are rubbed against the necks of the elephants. The picture is one of victory, pomp, and beauty.
225:2 Benares.
225:3 Whisks made of yak tails.
225:4 \"Vrastr".
225:5 See p. 188, note 7.
225:6 See p. 151, note 7.
225:7 \"Divyastr".
226:1 See p. 188, note 7.
226:2 Gang was born from the feet of Viu.
226:3 \"Mlati". Gang, on Her fall from Heaven, touched the head of iva. There Her white encircling stream is compared to a wreath.
226:4 That is, Gang.
226:5 The fourth and worst of the ages.
226:6 Names of trees. The reference to pine and palm show the descent of the stream from the Himalaya to the plains of Bengal.
226:7 In the caverns of the Himalaya.
227:1 Classes of minor divinities or "Devayoni".
227:2 That is, rka (Viu), who slew the Daitya Mura.
227:3 That is, iva, who conquered the three cities made of gold, silver, and iron of the three Asuras Kamalka, Trakaka, and Vidyunmli respectively.
227:4 Himlaya.
227:5 Viu, from whose feet She was born.
228:1 Vide ante, p. 163, note 6.
