Yamuna
*
"Hymns to the Goddess", by John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon), [1913],
p. 207
Gang 1
(gangstotra)
1
O Dev Surevar! 2 O Bhagavat Gang!
Saviour of the three worlds of restless waves,
Clear is Thy water circling upon the head of iva 3,
May my mind ever repose at Thy lotus feet.
2
Mother Bhgrath! 4 giver of happiness,
Renowned in Nigama 5 is the greatness of Thy water;
Thy greatness is more than I can know,
Protect me, O merciful one, ignorant that I am.
p. 208
3
O Gang! sprung from the feet of Viu, 1
Whose waves are white as snow as moon and pearl,
Remove from me my weight of sin;
Help me to cross the ocean of the world.
4
They say that him, O Gang! who is devoted to Thee
Yama 2 can never behold.
He who has drunk of Thy clear water
Attains of a surety the supreme Abode.
5
O Jhnav! O Gang! deliverer of the fallen, 3
Whose waves are beautiful,
Claving the foremost of mountains, 4
Mother of Bhma, 5 daughter of the foremost of "munis". 6
Protectress of the fallen; praised in the three worlds. 7
6
O Gang! who goeth to the ocean,
Ever free of sadness is he who salutes Thee.
p. 209
Giver of fruit like unto the "kalpa" tree, 1
By thy favour the woman who looked coldly
Now casts her loving glances. 2
7
He who bathes in Thy current, O Mother!
Is never again reborn in woman's womb
O Protectress from hell! O Jhnavi! O Gang!
O Destructress of sins! lofty art Thou by Thy greatness.
8
O Thou who art eternal! O wave of purity!
May Thou, bestower of bliss, refuge of Thy worshippers!
From whose eyes come glances of compassion.
Whose feet the lustre of gems on Indra's crown adorn,
Be ever victorious!
9
O Bhgrath! 3 dispel my illness, melancholy, and pain,
As also my sins and all my many follies;
Essence of the three regions, necklace (on the breast) of Earth, 4
Of a surety Thou art my refuge in the world.
p. 210
10
O Alakanand! 1 O supreme Bliss! 2
O worshipful by those who despair!
Be Thou merciful.
He whose abode is by Thy Banks
Of a verity dwells in Vaikuha. 3
11
Better were it to be a fish or tortoise in thy waters,
Or a feeble lizard upon Thy banks, or a poor dog-eater 4
Within two "kos" 5 of Thy stream,
Than to be a noble king and yet far away from Thee.
12
O Bhuvanevar! 6 pure one, praised of all,
Dev in liquid form, 7 daughter of the foremost of "Munis", 8
He who daily reads this hymn to Gang
Is of a surety ever victorious.
13
They who with devotion in their heart to Gang (Recite) this hymn
Composed in the sweet, pleasant, charming "pajjhatika" metre,
p. 211
Which gives the highest happiness,
Gain the eternal bliss of liberation.
14
A worldly 1 man shall read 2 this hymn to Gang
Which 3 is the essence of the world, the giver of desired fruit,
The essence of all pure things enjoined. 4
Composed by ankara, 5 the worshipper of ankara. 6
This hymn is ended.
Footnotes
207:1 This hymn to the Dev Ganges, which is in the sweet "pajjhatika" metre, is also rhymed thus:
Dev Surevar Bhagavat Gange,
Tribhuvanatrin taralatarange,
ankaramaul vihrin vmale,
Mamamatirstm tavapada kamale.
207:2 var (feminine of vara or Lord) of the Suras or Devas.
207:3 See p. 188, note 7.
207:4 So called because called down from Heaven by Bhagratha of the solar race.
207:5 Tantra.
208:1 Gang was born at the feet of Viu. So it is said in the mantra used when bathing in the Ganges: "Viupdbja sambhte Gange bhuvanatrini dharma dravti" (the Ganges is "dharma" in liquid form) "vikhyte ppam me hara Jhnavi"."
208:2 Deva of Death.
208:3 Into sin.
208:4 The Himlaya.
208:5 Son of Santanu by Gang.
208:6 See p. 188, note 7.
208:7 See p. 151, note 7.
209:1 The tree in the paradise of Indra which granted all desires.
209:2 \"Vimukhavanitkritataralpnge".
209:3 So called after Bhagratha, who called her down to earth (see p. 188, note 7).
209:4 \"Vasudhhr"--that is, as a necklace adorns a woman, so the Dev by the flowing lines of Her stream, adorns the Earth.
210:1 A river flowing from the Himalaya into the Ganges.
210:2 \"Paramnand", as is the Supreme, whose manifestation She is.
210:3 The heaven of Viu
210:4 That is, a "cala", one of the lowest and most unclean castes.
210:5 A \"kos" is two miles.
210:6 \"var", of the world.
210:7 For the Ganges is the manifestation of the Supreme in the form of the sacred river.
210:8 Jahnu (see p. 188, note 7).
211:1 \"Viaya", which also in a had sense means a sensualist or materialist.
211:2 \"Pahati". Literally, "reads," but used for the "vidhiling" tense "pahet". Thus in Cai it is said: "Pahet stotram samhitah"," and in the Vatukastotra, "Pahetvphayetvpi" ("should read or have read to him").
211:3 That is, the hymn.
211:4 \"i.e.", forms of worship ("pj"), sacrifice ("yajna"), etc.
211:5 That is, ankarcrya.
211:6 iva.
"Hymns to the Goddess", by John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon), [1913],
p. 207
Gang 1
(gangstotra)
1
O Dev Surevar! 2 O Bhagavat Gang!
Saviour of the three worlds of restless waves,
Clear is Thy water circling upon the head of iva 3,
May my mind ever repose at Thy lotus feet.
2
Mother Bhgrath! 4 giver of happiness,
Renowned in Nigama 5 is the greatness of Thy water;
Thy greatness is more than I can know,
Protect me, O merciful one, ignorant that I am.
p. 208
3
O Gang! sprung from the feet of Viu, 1
Whose waves are white as snow as moon and pearl,
Remove from me my weight of sin;
Help me to cross the ocean of the world.
4
They say that him, O Gang! who is devoted to Thee
Yama 2 can never behold.
He who has drunk of Thy clear water
Attains of a surety the supreme Abode.
5
O Jhnav! O Gang! deliverer of the fallen, 3
Whose waves are beautiful,
Claving the foremost of mountains, 4
Mother of Bhma, 5 daughter of the foremost of "munis". 6
Protectress of the fallen; praised in the three worlds. 7
6
O Gang! who goeth to the ocean,
Ever free of sadness is he who salutes Thee.
p. 209
Giver of fruit like unto the "kalpa" tree, 1
By thy favour the woman who looked coldly
Now casts her loving glances. 2
7
He who bathes in Thy current, O Mother!
Is never again reborn in woman's womb
O Protectress from hell! O Jhnavi! O Gang!
O Destructress of sins! lofty art Thou by Thy greatness.
8
O Thou who art eternal! O wave of purity!
May Thou, bestower of bliss, refuge of Thy worshippers!
From whose eyes come glances of compassion.
Whose feet the lustre of gems on Indra's crown adorn,
Be ever victorious!
9
O Bhgrath! 3 dispel my illness, melancholy, and pain,
As also my sins and all my many follies;
Essence of the three regions, necklace (on the breast) of Earth, 4
Of a surety Thou art my refuge in the world.
p. 210
10
O Alakanand! 1 O supreme Bliss! 2
O worshipful by those who despair!
Be Thou merciful.
He whose abode is by Thy Banks
Of a verity dwells in Vaikuha. 3
11
Better were it to be a fish or tortoise in thy waters,
Or a feeble lizard upon Thy banks, or a poor dog-eater 4
Within two "kos" 5 of Thy stream,
Than to be a noble king and yet far away from Thee.
12
O Bhuvanevar! 6 pure one, praised of all,
Dev in liquid form, 7 daughter of the foremost of "Munis", 8
He who daily reads this hymn to Gang
Is of a surety ever victorious.
13
They who with devotion in their heart to Gang (Recite) this hymn
Composed in the sweet, pleasant, charming "pajjhatika" metre,
p. 211
Which gives the highest happiness,
Gain the eternal bliss of liberation.
14
A worldly 1 man shall read 2 this hymn to Gang
Which 3 is the essence of the world, the giver of desired fruit,
The essence of all pure things enjoined. 4
Composed by ankara, 5 the worshipper of ankara. 6
This hymn is ended.
Footnotes
207:1 This hymn to the Dev Ganges, which is in the sweet "pajjhatika" metre, is also rhymed thus:
Dev Surevar Bhagavat Gange,
Tribhuvanatrin taralatarange,
ankaramaul vihrin vmale,
Mamamatirstm tavapada kamale.
207:2 var (feminine of vara or Lord) of the Suras or Devas.
207:3 See p. 188, note 7.
207:4 So called because called down from Heaven by Bhagratha of the solar race.
207:5 Tantra.
208:1 Gang was born at the feet of Viu. So it is said in the mantra used when bathing in the Ganges: "Viupdbja sambhte Gange bhuvanatrini dharma dravti" (the Ganges is "dharma" in liquid form) "vikhyte ppam me hara Jhnavi"."
208:2 Deva of Death.
208:3 Into sin.
208:4 The Himlaya.
208:5 Son of Santanu by Gang.
208:6 See p. 188, note 7.
208:7 See p. 151, note 7.
209:1 The tree in the paradise of Indra which granted all desires.
209:2 \"Vimukhavanitkritataralpnge".
209:3 So called after Bhagratha, who called her down to earth (see p. 188, note 7).
209:4 \"Vasudhhr"--that is, as a necklace adorns a woman, so the Dev by the flowing lines of Her stream, adorns the Earth.
210:1 A river flowing from the Himalaya into the Ganges.
210:2 \"Paramnand", as is the Supreme, whose manifestation She is.
210:3 The heaven of Viu
210:4 That is, a "cala", one of the lowest and most unclean castes.
210:5 A \"kos" is two miles.
210:6 \"var", of the world.
210:7 For the Ganges is the manifestation of the Supreme in the form of the sacred river.
210:8 Jahnu (see p. 188, note 7).
211:1 \"Viaya", which also in a had sense means a sensualist or materialist.
211:2 \"Pahati". Literally, "reads," but used for the "vidhiling" tense "pahet". Thus in Cai it is said: "Pahet stotram samhitah"," and in the Vatukastotra, "Pahetvphayetvpi" ("should read or have read to him").
211:3 That is, the hymn.
211:4 \"i.e.", forms of worship ("pj"), sacrifice ("yajna"), etc.
211:5 That is, ankarcrya.
211:6 iva.
