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SUMMARY:Snana Yatra 29th June 2026
DESCRIPTION:On this full-moon day\, sixteen days before Ratha- yatra\, Lord Jagannatha is bathed. He becomes sick and is confined to rest for fourteen days. He is then offered special care until He comes out for Ratha-yatra. \nA special bath of Jagannath takes place on the Purnima of Jyestha month (Devasnan Purnima)\, to commemorate the appearance day of Lord Jagannath. \nAccording to Skanda Purana when Raja Indradyumna installed the wooden deities he arranged this bathing ceremony. This day considered to be the birth-day of Lord jagannath. Held in the full-moon day of the month of Jyestha this festival is also simultaneously held in all other important Puri\, it attracts thousands of visitors and pilgrims from all over the country. \n‘Niladri Mohadaya’\, a religious text written in Orissan (Oriya) records the rituals of the festival. Sriharsa in his ‘naisadhiya Charita’ (XV.89) also refers to this festival of Purushottama. This bathing ceremony has a speciality. As this festival does not find mention in the early religious texts\, it is believed to be a tribal ceremony. Lord.Jagannath in His early form was being worshipped as Nilamadhava by a Savara chief called Viswabasu. The story is nicely told in the drama Jagannath Priyan natakam. Till now it is the Daitas and Savars (tribals) who have the exclusive right to conduct the festival. The tribals called Saoras (of southern Orissa) still perform a rite to bath their Deities ceremonially on the last day of the month of Jyestha. For this they collect water from remote Jungles where it remains untouched even by the shadow of the animals. \nOn the previous day of Snana Yatra the images of Jagannath\, Balabhadra and Subhadra along with the image of Sudarshana are ceremonially brought out from the sanctum in a procession to the Snana-vedi (Bathing pandal). This special pandal in the temple precinct of Puri is called Snana Mandap. It is at such a height that visitors standing outside the temple also get a glimpse of the Deities. \nOn the fourteenth day (Chaturdashi – the day before the bathing – Purnima) when the Deities are taken out in procession\, the whole process is called Pahandi or Pahandi vijay. Scholars have given different interpretations of the term (‘Pahandi’). Some opine that it has been derived from the term ‘Praspanda’ meaning movement. Some others are inclined to interpret it as derivation from Pandya vijaya.\nFor the festival the the Snana Vedi (bathing platform) is well decorated with traditional paintings of trees and gardens. Flags and toranas (arches strung with mango leaves) are also put up. The Deities are profusely decorated with flowers. All kinds of perfumes such as Dhupa (incense)\, Aguru (oils) etc. are then offered. As the ‘Pahandi’ of the Deities takes place to the accompaniment of music and beating of various indigenous drums. Thousands of devotees jostle and crave for a look at the Deities in procession. \nIn Puri the bathing procedure is as follows: After Mangala Arati\, the Suaras and Mahasuaras go in a ceremonial procession to fetch water from Suna Kua (Golden well) in one hundred and thirty\, vessels of copper and gold. All of them cover their mouths with a piece of cloth so as not to contaminate it even with their breath. Then all the vessels filled with water are preserved in the Bhoga Mandap. The Palla pandas (a class of Brahmin priests) then purify the water with Haridra (turmeric)\, Java (whole rice)\, Benachera\, Chandan\, Aguru\, flowers\, perfumes and medicinal herbs. \nThe bathing festival takes place during the morning hours of the purnima tithi. The filled vessels are carried from Bhoga Mandap to the Snana Vedi by the Suaras in a long single-line procession. This ritual is called ‘Jaladhibasa’ (Jala – water\, abhishek – bath). \nPrior to the bathing ceremony Jagannath\, Baladeva and Subhadra\, covered in silken cloth and then smeared with red powder\, are taken in procession to a platform which is specially decorated and purified with water and incense. One hundred and eight gold vessels are filled with water taken from a special well containing waters from all the holy tirthas. Abhiseka is performed with this water\, accompanied by the chanting of vedic (Pavamana Sukta) mantras\, kirtana and blowing of conch shells. \nDue to the amount of bathing liquids that are offered to cool the Lord’s transcendental body at this time\, bear in mind that this is the hottest time in India just prior to the refreshing monsoon rains\, His painted form takes a bit of a wash-out. The colouration of the Deity’s faces are painted on with natural earthly mineral paints not modern oil based paints\, so when water is applied to cool Their forms it also has the effect of washing away the features of the former painting. As usual the Lord has a plan to make everything go smoothly. To bridge the episode of His bathing and the period that He comes out to bless everyone for Rathyatra He organized some special pastimes by which the devotees can serve Him and remember His wonderful forms. \nSo to keep a wonderful mood of seeing the Lord in an uplifting manner the Lord arranged for the Hati Vesha festival where Lord Jagannatha and Lord Balaram then puts on the elephant dress\, Hati Vesha\, and Lady Subhadra wears a lotus flower vesha. \nThe original story is told in several different ways\, some call Hati snan (elephant bath) some call Ganesh abhishek as they identify the following story as being the original cause of the Lord to wear this elephant vesh for His devotee: It is said that a staunch devotee of Lord Ganesh and himself a profound scholar visited Puri during Snana Yatra. He was amply rewarded by the king of Orissa for his scholarship. The king asked the scholar to accompany him to see Lord Jagannath which he refused under the pretext that he wouldn’t worship any “God” other than his Ishthadevata Ganesh. Somehow he was persuaded and brought before the Snana vedi. To the utter surprise of all\, Lord Jagannath appeared with an elephantine form that resembled as Ganesh. Since then during Snana Yatra when the sacred bath is performed\, the Deities are dressed like elephants – resembling Ganesh. Various other legends are also told and reasons assigned explaining the Ganesh besa (vesha). \nDuring the sacred bath the colours painted on the images generally fade. Seeing the wooden deities in discolour devotees may not have the appropriate devotional attitude and in fact may feel sinful repugnance. For this reason\, the images are immediately dressed in the Hati vesha (besa) in which they remain mostly covered. \nAfter the Snana Yatra\, the Deities are kept away from public view for fifteen days and during all these days the daily rites of the temple remain suspended. As Jagannatha himself instructed\, after this ceremony\, he is not seen for a fortnight. The Deities are kept on a special “sick room” called the Ratan vedi inside the temple. This period is called ‘Anabasara kala’ meaning improper time for worship. It has been said earlier that the Deities are discoloured as a result of the sacred bath – some say look a bit off colour. During these fifteen days the Daitas (descendants of Viswavasu\, the Savara) repaint and restore the Deities and Jagannath’s fine decorations. The period of colouring and decorating the Deities is divided into seven short periods\, each of two days duration\, and a short period of one day set apart to give finishing touches. Thus the period covers the whole fortnight. On the 16th day the Deities in their new forms after renovation become ready for the public view – darshan. The festival of the first appearance of the Lord Jagannath to his devotees is called Netrotsava (festival for the eyes) or Nava Yauvanotsava (festival of the ever new youth). According to priests of the Jagannath temple the devotee washes away all his sins if he gets a vision of the Lord on this day. On this occasion\, therefore\, great rush of people occurs in the temple. \nThe Shilpa Shastras and Agamas testify that the Deities become suitable for worship only after the performance of the rite of ‘Chakshyu Unmilana’ (Opening of the eyes). During ‘Anabasara’\, the Daitas offer to the Deities only fruits and water mixed with cheese\, and Dasa mula medicines to cure his fever.. In a devotional mood the devotees accept that due to all the bathing the Lord becomes transcendentally poorly\, and therefore needs to take rest. Like human beings they are considered to have fallen ill and are treated by the Raj Vaidya or the King’s physician with specific medicines (Dasamulas). \nThe temple-festivals which are held in a bigger and elaborate scale in the important shrines of Puri and Bhubaneswar are also held simultaneously in all other small shrines of the respective Deities\, though in modest scales. Likewise the Snana Yatra is held in many other temples of Orissa\, and now all over the world. \nOther deities may also receive abhiseka on this day. One should perform puja and bathe the Deities with water or panca gavya and pancamrta while chanting the vedic mantras like purusa sukta. \nSnan Yatra & Hati Vesha Utsav by Jaya Tirtha Charan darshan \nThe Snan yatra bathing ceremony of Lord Jagannath has become one of the most popular festivals on the Iskcon calendar over the years since His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad introduced it to the world outside of India. Traditionally this festival has been going on since the time of the carving of the ‘Dharu-brahman’ Deities of Lord Jagannath\, Lord Balaram\, and Lady Subhadra in Sri Purushottam Kshetra (Jagannath Puri) thousands of years ago\, commemorating Their sacred appearance for Their devotees – primarily the saintly King Maharaj Indradyumna.\nMany of you would know that after the bathing ceremony the Lord catches a transcendental chill\, are fed sweet foods and drinks to break Their fever\, and then retires for Their ‘Anavasara kala’ – recuperation period. In Jagannath Puri where the Deities are painted with natural mineral paints\, after the bathing ceremony the paints have a tendency to run and the Deities would be not viewable to the general public. So to allow the devotees to partake further in the Lord’s pastimes\, They made a special arrangement with one ‘brahmin’ who came to visit to take ‘darshan’ at this time. \nLord Sri Krishna\, Jagannath is the Lord of the Universe and so in essence is the original creator of everything\, nothing exists without Him. In one sense then everything is Him\, at least coming from Him. Just as in the creation of a by-product from an original source the by-product has it’s existence by association with the original object. Shastra gives the example of milk being transformed into yogurt for a functionary analogy of Krishna being like the original source (milk in this case) and Lord Shiva being like yogurt\, having come in contact with a culture for his functionary activities in the material world. The milk therefore in one sense created yogurt\, but that yogurt can never again become milk. Therefore it\, although one in origin\, it is different\, becoming secondary or mutated potency and therefore lesser in potency and function.\nSripad Shankaracarya taught a very dangerous philosophy called pancopasika (païcopasana – Chaitanya Chairitamrta Adi-lila 7:151. Purport; Madhya-lila 9:360. purport)\, which wrongly inferred that the Lord and His primary creation\, and the predominating Deities of it were equal in potency to Him. He said that Lord Vishnu\, Ganesh\, Shiva\, Surya\, Laxmi (Durga\, Kali\, Saraswati) were/are equal which to us\, and to Lord Vishnu is to be considered as a grave offense (civasya cré-vinëor ya iha guëa-namadi-sakalaa / dhiya bhinnaa pacyet sa khalu hari-namahita-karaù. – Padma Purana.) \nIn various places it is phrased slightly different ways; (2) to consider the Lord and the demigods to be on the same level or to think that there are many gods (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Sri Chaitanya Charitamrta Adi-lila 7:73.\, purport.) (b) to consider the name of Lord Siva or any other demigod to be equally as powerful as the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (no one is equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead\, nor is anyone superior to Him)(A.C. Bhaktivedanta swami Prabhupada. SB 7:5:23-24. Purport.) ”The second offense is to see the holy names of the Lord in terms of worldly distinction. The Lord is the proprietor of all the universes\, and therefore He may be known in different places by different names\, but that does not in any way qualify the fullness of the Lord. Any nomenclature which is meant for the Supreme Lord is as holy as the others because they are all meant for the Lord. Such holy names are as powerful as the Lord\, and there is no bar for anyone in any part of the creation to chant and glorify the Lord by the particular name of the Lord as it is locally understood. They are all auspicious\, and one should not distinguish such names of the Lord as material commodities.”(A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Srimad bhagavatam 2:1:11. Purport.) \nsthavara-jaìgama dekhe\, na dekhe tara mürti\nsarvatra haya nija inoa-deva-sphürti \n“A Vaishnava never sees the material form of anything\, moving or nonmoving. Rather\, everywhere he looks he sees the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead\, and immediately he remembers the transcendental form of the Lord.” \nThis wonderfully merciful and enlivening story of the Lord knowing the heart of His devotee\, and personally bestowing His mercy upon him has nothing what so ever with that deviant philosophy.\nThe story goes that this ‘brahmin’ was a devotee of Lord Jagannath\, but for some reason expected to see the elephant-headed deva\, Ganesh\, in the temple. The ‘brahmin’ was somewhat disappointed seeing the deva / demigod not there\, and that Lord Jagannath had been bathed already and that They were looking a bit ‘off colour’ with Their mineral paint colours running. In many ways the hearts’ desire of that devotee were unfulfilled. Then that night\, knowing his heart\, the Lord appeared to the devotee in a dream and told him to go back to the temple and he would not be disappointed. Rather all his desires would be fulfilled by worshipping Lord Jagannath and not by separatedly worshipping any deva (Bhagavad Gita 9:23.). \nThe all merciful Lord then appeared to his devotee; Lord Jagannath and Lord Balaram assumed the appearance of beautifully decorated elephants\, while Lady Subhadra decorated Herself as a Lotus flower. From that time on they began the Hati Vesha (Elephant Mask) festival. Consequently some call it the Hati-vesh festival\, some the Ganesh-vesh festival. Both are correct – the Lord assumed a special form to satisfy His devotee\, just as in other cultures we hear stories of the Lord appearing to Moses in the form of a Burning Bush\, or to Mohammed in the form of sound\, or as with Jagannath in the form of the Dharu-brahman logs that washed up upon the ocean shore to be carried by the sabara Virabhadra\, and fashioned by the architect of the devas Vishvakarma into the wonderful forms of Sriyuts Jagannath\, Baladeva and Subhadra maharani we see before us. \nFormerly when we were in Mayapur we had the rare opportunity to discuss through some local devotees (Jananivas and Pankajanagrhi prabhus) with ‘pujaris’ from Jagannath Puri who were helping to authenticate Iskcon’s ‘seva’ to the Lord at the Jagannath temple in Mayapur. They described to me the festival\, and how to execute it. Since then we began that festival in Melbourne\, Australia where the festival is still an escalating favourite with all of the congregation of devotees. \nIn essence the festival begins with Their Lordships coming to the Snan-Vedi. At this time everyone there gets the great blessing of being able to render the service of bathing the Lord in nectarean natural bathing substances. After that the Deities return to the altar to be cleaned off\, where They are tended by Their ‘sevaks’. The Deities are then dressed in their ‘Hati Veshes’ (Elephant Masks) and offered a wonderful myriad of sweets and sticky buns\, cakes\, and local delicacies – as all elephants\, and especially These Transcendental Ones\, love. The curtains are again opened leaving the food offerings of love for all to see before the Lord. The ‘Arati’ ceremony is then performed\, and according to the Jagannath pujaris\, traditionally it is accepted that the Lord bestows all benedictions and blessings upon those fortunate enough to be there to see Them there in Their Elephant masks. After the ‘Arati’ the Deities retire to Their ‘Anavasara’ rest rooms to ‘restore the colour to Their cheeks’\, where the Lord will be served in private intimacy for the next couple of weeks up to the ‘netrotsava’ or ‘nava yauvanotsava’ – first restoration ‘darshan’. \nThe abundance of offerings are then distributed for a small donation to all the eager devotees who wait to savour the culinary blessings of the Lord too.\nTheir Lordships now have their very own Hati Veshes so that everyone may participate in this transcendental festival.
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CATEGORIES:Upcoming Event
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SUMMARY:Ganga Puja 24th June 2026
DESCRIPTION:The appearance anniversary of Ganga Devi\, the goddess of the River Ganges. \nThis is literally the “birthday or descent of mother Ganges – Ganga Ma”. Throughout india this festival lasts ten days beginning on the Amavasya (dark moon night) and going through to the dasami tithi (tenth phase of the Moon\, the day before Pandava Nirjal Ekadasi) \n“Festivals connected with rivers are essentially bathing festivals. Ganga Dussehra is celebrated on the tenth day of Jyeshtha. River Ganga is worshipped as a mother as well as a Goddess\, particularly by people of Uttara Pradesh\, Bihar\, and Bengal through which the river flows. On this day\, if a devotee is unable to visit and bathe in the river Ganga\, then Ganga jal (water) kept in most Hindu homes is used for purification. A bath in the river is said to purify the bather of all sins. The Ganga is revered all over India even in places far from its course. \nInitially\, river Ganga flowed in the heavens. She was brought down to earth by the severe penances of the sage Bhagiratha and that is why she is also called Bhagirathi. According to the story\, of the descent of the Ganga\, once a number of demons were harassing the hermits by disturbing them in their ascetic duties. During the day\, they would be chased into the ocean. But in the darkness of the night\, they would emerge from the ocean and start harassing the hermits again. In desperation the hermits appealed to Rishi Agastya. Agastya\, known for his gastronomic powers\, drank all the water of the ocean. Though this was done in good faith\, it resulted in depriving the world of the water needed for sustenance and the earth became parched and dry. Bhagiratha brought this drought to and end. \nAccording to the legend\, King Sagara of the Ikshvaku dynasty ruling at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh had two queens\, Keshani and Sumati\, but neither had a child. Sagara performed severe austerities before his wives could produce sons. But whereas Keshani gave birth to a son called Asmajas\, Sumati bore 60\,000 sons. Sagara performed the Ashwamedha sacrifice to declare his suzerainty over the neighbouring kingdoms. According to the prevalent custom\, the sacrificial horse was let loose and allowed to wander into the neighbouring kingdoms. If the horse was caught\, a battle ensued and the outcome decided the winner. The 60\,000 sons of Sagara were following the horse when they saw him enter a cavern where sage Kapila was meditating. Not seeing the horse in the cavern\, they presumed that Kapila had captured it. They did not kill Kapila as he was a sage but they started disturbing his meditations. Annoyed at being disturbed\, Kapila with a curse burnt the 60\,000 sons of Sagara. \nTime passed and later Bhagiratha\, the great grandson of Sagara\, chanced to come across the bones of his dead ancestors. He wanted to perform the shraddha of his ancestors but there was no water available for the ceremony. Agastya having drunk all the waters of the ocean\, the country was passing through a severe drought. Bhagiratha prayed to Brahma\, the Creator\, to end the drought. Brahma asked him to pray to Vishnu\, the Preserver\, to allow the heavenly Ganga\, issuing from His big toe\, to come down to earth. Vishnu when prayed to by Bhagiratha agreed\, but asked him to request Shiva\, the third member of the Hindu trinity of Gods\, to allow the torrential rain to fall on his head before it came to the earth as the river was very forceful and if she were allowed to come down unchecked\, her fall would split the earth. Shiva agreed to take the gigantic weight of the cascading Ganga on the matted hair piled high on his head. This ensnared and delayed the progress of the river which\, in meandering through the labyrinth of his hair\, lost its force and then gently descended to the Himalayas from whence it flowed to the plains bestowing its waters on the parched earth. And that is why the anthropomorphic image of Ganga is shown in the matted hair of Shiva who is also called Gangadhara. Being born in the Himalayas\, Ganga is considered the elder sister of Parvati\, who is also a daughter of the Himalayas. \nAccording to the Agni Purana and Padma Purana\, the Ganga descended to the earth on Ganga Dussehra day and a bath in the holy river on this day is said to purify one of all sins. To die on the banks of the Ganga is considered most auspicious. If that is not possible\, then the immersion of the ashes after cremation in the river Ganga is a must\, as it then releases one from the cycles of birth and re-birth. \nthe seven ways of worshipping the Ganga are: by calling out her name\, ‘Oh Ganga’; having darshan of her; by toughing her waters; by worshipping and bathing; by standing in the waters of the river; and by carrying clay dug out of the river. Ganga in her anthropomorphic form is shown as a beautiful young woman standing on a crocodile and holding a waterpot in her hands. Her image\, with that of the Goddess Yamuna\, another sacred river deity\, is often depicted on the doors of temples and palaces. In Gujarat\, there is a legend according to which Ganga came down to the earth on Rishi Panchami\, the fifth day of Bhadra (September) at Tarnetar. There is a sacred tank where people congregate for a holy bath on that day (pages 82-82.) (see Tarnetar festival 106-107\, 120-121. not so relevant to us – nice pictures of the fair and bathing ghats though.) (Shakti M. Gupta. 1991. Festivals\, Fairs and Fasts of India. Clarion Books) \nThe first ten days of the month Jyeshth\, known as Dashahara\, are dedicated to honour the river Ganges\, or Mother Ganges. The Ganges is believed to flow in the three worlds: in heaven it is called Mandakini\, on earth the Ganges (or Ganga)\, and in the nether region the Bhagirathi. Thus the Ganga is known as “Tripathaga”\, or the “Three Path River”. People believe that by bathing in the Ganga sins are washed away. The principle centres for the worship of the Ganga are Gangotri\, the source of the river; Haridwar\, where she comes down to the plains; Allahabad\, where she joins the Yamuna; Varanasi\, the holy city; and Sagara Island in her estuary where she finally flows into the Bay of Bengal. \nGanga is supposed to be the daughter of the Himalayas and the goddess Mena. According to the Puranas\, the heavenly Ganga flows from Vishnu’s toe. Ganga sometimes assumed a human form. In one such appearance\, she married King Shantanu and was the mother of Bhishma\, grandsire to the warring Pandava and Kaurava clans (see Mahabharata). \nLong ago there was a king named Sagar. Once he performed the horse sacrifice known as Ashvamedh. After much wandering one day the king’s horse reached the ashram of Kapil Muni. Then seven thousand of the king’s boys also reached there in search of the horse. They had wickedly imagined that Kapil Muni had deliberately kidnapped the horse\, and they decided to destroy the muni. Kapil Muni got angry and cursed them. There upon they all were burnt and reduced to ashes. \nSince neither the horse nor his soldiers returned King Sagar became anxious. He sent his grandson Anshuman to search for them. Kapil Muni told Anshuman the whole story. Anshuman asked\, “How can the sin of the king’s boys be destroyed?” \nKapil Muni answered\, “They will be saved if the water of the Ganga will flow over this land.” \nAnshuman tried but did not succeed in bringing down the Ganga on earth. Then his son Dilip also tried\, but without success. Finally his son Bhagirath after performing terrible austerities managed to bring down the Ganga to this earth. Mother Ganga was pleased with Bhagirath\, but asked him to obtain also the good pleasure of Shankar (Lord Shiva). Shankar agreed to take the burden of bringing the Ganga on earth. Thus on the tenth day of the bright half of Jyeshth\, Mother Ganga began to flow from heaven to the matted hair of Shankar\, and from the hair of Shankar she began to flow on this earth. In this way the children of Sagar were saved. For this reason the Ganges is also known as the Bhagirathi. END. \nIf you are so fortunate as to be in a place in Bharat Bhumi where the sacred Ganges flows or one of the mystical magical places where She appears contrary to material science\, such as Mana Sarovara\, Manasi Ganga (Bhubaneshwar)\, Madhwa Sarova (Udupi)\, etc.\, then you will be able to go down to her waters and pay your obeisances\, say your prayers and take that water upon your head. Then please say a prayer to invoke the blessings of the Lord upon all of us not so fortunate as to be there with you. \nFor most of us reading this that will not physically be possible\, although certainly through Manasa puja – meditation one may still perform that worship. \nWhether you are in Gangotri (the place where she manifests first in this realm) or if you are at (H)Rishikesha or Haridwar\, Benares (Varanarsi)\, Allahabad (Prayag) or in Mayapur\, West Bengal\, or as I am here writing this remembering those wonderful places the purifying association of Mother Ganga remains the same. \nScientists’ still cannot understand how unlike ordinary water\, when you take a bottle of that and keep it for YEARS\, it never becomes green and slimmy. It always remains in its pure condition. \nMy memories of early morning (03:30am) dips at Haridwar (Vishnupadi) still leave me as near breathless as entering into her icey waters as we did in January (winter in the Norther Hemisphere) 1980. In the evening the floatila of thousands of leaf boats laden with flames\, flowers\, and sweetmeats\, bobbing gently as they flow with the current to the resounding sounds of the bells and arati songs\, and disappearing flickering into the distance. A sight worth seeing. \nThe Descent of the River Ganges\nSrimad Bhagavatam 5th Canto 17the Chapter Summary\nby HDG Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad. \nThe Seventeenth Chapter describes the origin of the Ganges River and how it flows in and around Ilavrita-varsha. There is also a description of the prayers Lord Siva offers to Lord Sankarshana\, part of the quadruple expansions of the Supreme personality of Godhead. Lord Vishnu once approached Bali Maharaja while the King was performing a sacrifice. The Lord appeared before him as Trivikrama\, or Vamana\, and begged alms from the King in the form of three steps of land. With two steps\, Lord Vamana covered all three planetary systems and pierced the covering of the universe with the toes of His left foot. A few drops of water from the Causal Ocean leaked through this hole and fell on the head of Lord Siva\, where they remained for one thousand millenniums. These drops of water are the sacred Ganges River. It first flows onto the heavenly planets\, which are located on the soles of Lord Vishnu’s feet. The Ganges River is known by many names\, such as the Bhagirathi and the Jahnavi. It purifies Dhruvaloka and the planets of the seven sages because both Dhruva and the sages have no other desire than to serve the Lord’s lotus feet. \nThe Ganges River\, emanating from the lotus feet of the Lord\, inundates the heavenly planets\, especially the moon\, and then flows through Brahmapuri atop Mount Meru. Here the river divides into four branches (known as Sita\, Alakananda\, Cakshu and Bhadra)\, which then flow down to the ocean of salt water. The branch known as Sita flows through Sekhara-parvata and Gandhamadana-parvata and then flows down to Bhadrasva-varsha\, where it mixes with the ocean of salt water in the West. The Cakshu branch flows through Malyavan-giri and\, after reaching Ketumala-varsha\, mixes with the ocean of salt water in the West. The branch known as Bhadra flows onto Mount Meru\, Mount Kumuda\, and the Nila\, Sveta and Sringavan mountains before it reaches Kuru-desa\, where it flows into the ocean of salt water in the north. The Alakananda branch flows through Brahmalaya\, crosses over many mountains\, including Hemakuta and Himakuta\, and then reaches Bharata-varsha\, where it flows into the southern side of the ocean of salt water. Many other rivers and their branches flow through the nine varshas. \nThe tract of land known as Bharata-varsha is the field of activities\, and the other eight varshas are for persons who are meant to enjoy heavenly comfort. In each of these eight beautiful provinces\, the celestial denizens enjoy various standards of material comfort and pleasure. A different incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead distributes His mercy in each of the nine varshas of Jambudvipa. \nIn the Ilavrita-varsha\, Lord Siva is the only male. There he lives with his wife\, Bhavani\, who is attended by many maidservants. If any other male enters that province\, Bhavani curses him to become a woman. Lord Siva worships Lord Sankarshana by offering various prayers\, one of which is as follows: “My dear Lord\, please liberate all Your devotees from material life and bind all the nondevotees to the material world. Without Your mercy\, no one can be released from the bondage of material existence.” \nsri-suka uvaca\ntatra bhagavatah sakshad yajna-lingasya vishnor vikramato vama-padangushtha-nakha-nirbhinnordhvanda-kataha-vivarenantah-pravishta ya bahya-jala-dhara tac-carana-pankajavanejanaruna-kinjalkoparanjitakhila-jagad-agha-malapahopasparsanamala sakshad bhagavat-padity anupalakshita-vaco ’bhidhiyamanati-mahata kalena yuga-sahasropalakshanena divo murdhany avatatara yat tad vishnu-padam ahuh. \nTRANSLATION\nSukadeva Gosvami said: My dear King\, Lord Vishnu\, the enjoyer of all sacrifices\, appeared as Vamanadeva in the sacrificial arena of Bali Maharaja. Then He extended His left foot to the end of the universe and pierced a hole in its covering with the nail of His big toe. Through the hole\, the pure water of the Causal Ocean entered this universe as the Ganges River. Having washed the lotus feet of the Lord\, which are covered with reddish powder\, the water of the Ganges acquired a very beautiful pink color. Every living being can immediately purify his mind of material contamination by touching the transcendental water of the Ganges\, yet its waters remain ever pure. Because the Ganges directly touches the lotus feet of the Lord before descending within this universe\, she is known as Vishnupadi. Later she received other names like Jahnavi and Bhagirathi. After one thousand millenniums\, the water of the Ganges descended on Dhruvaloka\, the topmost planet in this universe. Therefore all learned sages and scholars proclaim Dhruvaloka to be Vishnupada [“situated on Lord Vishnu’s lotus feet”]. \nPURPORT\nIn this verse\, Sukadeva Gosvami describes the glories of the Ganges River. The water of the Ganges is called patita-pavani\, the deliverer of all sinful living beings. It is a proven fact that a person who regularly bathes in the Ganges is purified both externally and internally. Externally his body becomes immune to all kinds of disease\, and internally he gradually develops a devotional attitude toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Throughout India\, many thousands of people live on the banks of the Ganges\, and by regularly bathing in her waters\, they are undoubtedly being purified both spiritually and materially. Many sages\, including Sankaracarya\, have composed prayers in praise of the Ganges\, and the land of India itself has become glorious because such rivers as the Ganges\, Yamuna\, Godavari\, Kaveri\, Krishna and Narmada flow there. Anyone living on the land adjacent to these rivers is naturally advanced in spiritual consciousness. Srila Madhvacarya says: \nvarahe vama-padam tu\ntad-anyeshu tu dakshinam\npadam kalpeshu bhagavan\nujjahara trivikramah \nStanding on His right foot and extending His left to the edge of the universe\, Lord Vamana became known as Trivikrama\, the incarnation who performed three heroic deeds. \nyatra ha vava vira-vrata auttanapadih parama-bhagavato ’smat-kula-devata-caranaravindodakam iti yam anusavanam utkrishyamana-bhagavad-bhakti-yogena dridham klidyamanantar-hridaya autkanthya-vivasamilita-locana-yugala-kudmala-vigalitamala-bashpa-kalayabhivyajyamana-roma-pulaka-kulako ’dhunapi paramadarena sirasa bibharti. \nTRANSLATION\nDhruva Maharaja\, the famous son of Maharaja Uttanapada\, is known as the most exalted devotee of the Supreme Lord because of his firm determination in executing devotional service. Knowing that the sacred Ganges water washes the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu\, Dhruva Maharaja\, situated on his own planet\, to this very day accepts that water on his head with great devotion. Because he constantly thinks of Krishna very devoutly within the core of his heart\, he is overcome with ecstatic anxiety. Tears flow from his half-open eyes\, and eruptions appear on his entire body. \nPURPORT\nWhen a person is firmly fixed in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead\, he is described as vira-vrata\, fully determined. Such a devotee increases his ecstasy in devotional service more and more. Thus as soon as he remembers Lord Vishnu\, his eyes fill with tears. This is a symptom of a maha-bhagavata. Dhruva Maharaja maintained himself in that devotional ecstasy\, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also gave us a practical example of transcendental ecstasy when He lived at Jagannatha Puri. His pastimes there are fully narrated in Caitanya-caritamrita. \ntatah sapta rishayas tat prabhavabhijna yam nanu tapasa atyantiki siddhir etavati bhagavati sarvatmani vasudeve ’nuparata-bhakti-yoga-labhenaivopekshitanyarthatma-gatayo muktim ivagatam mumukshava iva sabahu-manam adyapi jata-jutair udvahanti. \nTRANSLATION\nThe seven great sages [Marici\, Vasishtha\, Atri and so on] reside on planets beneath Dhruvaloka. Well aware of the influence of the water of the Ganges\, to this day they keep Ganges water on the tufts of hair on their heads. They have concluded that this is the ultimate wealth\, the perfection of all austerities\, and the best means of prosecuting transcendental life. Having obtained uninterrupted devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead\, they neglect all other beneficial processes like religion\, economic development\, sense gratification and even merging into the Supreme. Just as jnanis think that merging into the existence of the Lord is the highest truth\, these seven exalted personalities accept devotional service as the perfection of life. \nPURPORT\nTranscendentalists are divided into two primary groups: the nirvisesha-vadis\, or impersonalists\, and the bhaktas\, or devotees. The impersonalists do not accept spiritual varieties of life. They want to merge into the existence of the Supreme Lord in His Brahman feature (the brahmajyoti). The devotees\, however\, desire to take part in the transcendental activities of the Supreme Lord. In the upper planetary system\, the topmost planet is Dhruvaloka\, and beneath Dhruvaloka are the seven planets occupied by the great sages\, beginning with Marici\, Vasishtha and Atri. All these sages regard devotional service as the highest perfection of life. Therefore they all carry the holy water of the Ganges on their heads. This verse proves that for one who has achieved the platform of pure devotional service\, nothing else is important\, even so-called liberation (kaivalya). Srila Sridhara Svami states that only by achieving pure devotional service of the Lord can one give up all other engagements as insignificant. Prabodhananda Sarasvati confirms his statement as follows: \nkaivalyam narakayate tri-dasa-pur akasa-pushpayate\ndurdantendriya-kala-sarpa-patali protkhata-damshtrayate\nvisvam purna-sukhayate vidhi-mahendradis ca kitayate\nyat karunya-kataksha-vaibhavavatam tam gauram eva stumah \nSri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has perfectly enunciated and broadcast the process of bhakti-yoga. Consequently\, for one who has taken shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu\, the highest perfection of the Mayavadis\, kaivalya\, or becoming one with the Supreme\, is considered hellish\, to say nothing of the karmis’ aspiration to be promoted to the heavenly planets. Devotees consider such goals to be worthless phantasmagoria. There are also yogis\, who try to control their senses\, but they can never succeed without coming to the stage of devotional service. The senses are compared to poisonous snakes\, but the senses of a bhakta engaged in the service of the Lord are like snakes with their poisonous fangs removed. The yogi tries to suppress his senses\, but even great mystics like Visvamitra fail in the attempt. Visvamitra was conquered by his senses when he was captivated by Menaka during his meditation. She later gave birth to Sakuntala. The wisest persons in the world\, therefore\, are the bhakti-yogis\, as Lord Krishna confirms in Bhagavad-gita (6.47): \nyoginam api sarvesham\nmad-gatenantaratmana\nsraddhavan bhajate yo mam\nsa me yuktatamo matah \n“Of all yogis\, he who always abides in Me with great faith\, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service\, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.” \ntato ’neka-sahasra-koti-vimananika-sankula-deva-yanenavatar-antindu mandalam avarya brahma-sadane nipatati. \nTRANSLATION \nAfter purifying the seven planets near Dhruvaloka [the polestar]\, the Ganges water is carried through the spaceways of the demigods in billions of celestial airplanes. Then it inundates the moon [Candraloka] and finally reaches Lord Brahma’s abode atop Mount Meru. \nPURPORT \nWe should always remember that the Ganges River comes from the Causal Ocean\, beyond the covering of the universe. After the water of the Causal Ocean leaks through the hole created by Lord Vamanadeva\, it flows down to Dhruvaloka (the polestar) and then to the seven planets beneath Dhruvaloka. Then it is carried to the moon by innumerable celestial airplanes\, and then it falls to the top of Mount Meru\, which is known as Sumeru-parvata. In this way\, the water of the Ganges finally reaches the lower planets and the peaks of the Himalayas\, and from there it flows through Hardwar and throughout the plains of India\, purifying the entire land. How the Ganges water reaches the various planets from the top of the universe is explained herein. Celestial airplanes carry the water from the planets of the sages to other planets. So-called advanced scientists of the modern age are trying to go to the higher planets\, but at the same time they are experiencing a power shortage on earth. If they were actually capable scientists\, they could personally go by airplane to other planets\, but this they are unable to do. Having now given up their moon excursions\, they are attempting to go to other planets\, but without success. \ntatra caturdha bhidyamana caturbhir namabhis catur-disam abhispandanti nada-nadi-patim evabhinivisati sitalakananda cakshur bhadreti. \nTRANSLATION \nOn top of Mount Meru\, the Ganges divides into four branches\, each of which gushes in a different direction [east\, west\, north and south]. These branches\, known by the names Sita\, Alakananda\, Cakshu and Bhadra\, flow down to the ocean. \nsita tu brahma-sadanat kesaracaladi-giri-sikharebhyo ’dho ’dhah prasravanti gandhamadana-murdhasu patitvantarena bhadrasva-varsham pracyam disi kshara-samudram abhipravisati. \nTRANSLATION \nThe branch of the Ganges known as the Sita flows through Brahmapuri atop Mount Meru\, and from there it runs down to the nearby peaks of the Kesaracala Mountains\, which stand almost as high as Mount Meru itself. These mountains are like a bunch of filaments around Mount Meru. From the Kesaracala Mountains\, the Ganges falls to the peak of Gandhamadana Mountain and then flows into the land of Bhadrasva-varsha. Finally it reaches the ocean of salt water in the west. \nevam malyavac-chikharan nishpatanti tato ’nuparata-vega ketumalam abhi cakshuh praticyam disi sarit-patim pravisati. \nTRANSLATION\nThe branch of the Ganges known as Cakshu falls onto the summit of Malyavan Mountain and from there cascades onto the land of Ketumala-varsha. The Ganges flows incessantly through Ketumala-varsha and in this way also reaches the ocean of salt water in the West. \nbhadra cottarato meru-siraso nipatita giri-sikharad giri-sikharam atihaya sringavatah sringad avasyandamana uttarams tu kurun abhita udicyam disi jaladhim abhipravisati. \nTRANSLATION\nThe branch of the Ganges known as Bhadra flows from the northern side of Mount Meru. Its waters fall onto the peaks of Kumuda Mountain\, Mount Nila\, Sveta Mountain and Sringavan Mountain in succession. Then it runs down into the province of Kuru and\, after crossing through that land\, flows into the saltwater ocean in the north. \ntathaivalakananda dakshinena brahma-sadanad bahuni giri-kutany atikramya hemakutad dhaimakutany ati-rabhasatara-ramhasa luthayanti bharatam abhivarsham dakshinasyam disi jaladhim abhipravisati yasyam snanartham cagacchatah pumsah pade pade ’svamedha-rajasuyadinam phalam na durlabham iti. \nTRANSLATION\nSimilarly\, the branch of the Ganges known as Alakananda flows from the southern side of Brahmapuri [Brahma-sadana]. Passing over the tops of mountains in various lands\, it falls down with fierce force upon the peaks of the mountains Hemakuta and Himakuta. After inundating the tops of those mountains\, the Ganges falls down onto the tract of land known as Bharata-varsha\, which she also inundates. Then the Ganges flows into the ocean of salt water in the south. Persons who come to bathe in this river are fortunate. It is not very difficult for them to achieve with every step the results of performing great sacrifices like the Rajasuya and Asvamedha yajnas. \nPURPORT\nThe place where the Ganges flows into the salt water of the Bay of Bengal is still known as Ganga-sagara\, or the meeting place of the Ganges and the Bay of Bengal. On Makara-sankranti\, in the month of January–February\, thousands of people still go there to bathe\, hoping to be liberated. That they can actually be liberated in this way is confirmed herein. For those who bathe in the Ganges at any time\, the results of great sacrifices like the Asvamedha and Rajasuya yajnas are not at all difficult to achieve. Most people in India are still inclined to bathe in the Ganges\, and there are many places where they can do so. At Prayaga (Allahabad)\, many thousands of people gather during the month of January to bathe in the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna. Afterward\, many of them go to the confluence of the Bay of Bengal and the Ganges to take bath there. Thus it is a special facility for all the people of India that they can bathe in the water of the Ganges at so many places of pilgrimage. \nanye ca nada nadyas ca varshe varshe santi bahuso merv-adi-giri-duhitarah satasah. \nTRANSLATION\nMany other rivers\, both big and small\, flow from the top of Mount Meru. These rivers are like daughters of the mountain\, and they flow to the various tracts of land in hundreds of branches.\ntatrapi bharatam eva varsham karma-kshetram anyany ashta varshani svarginam punya-seshopabhoga-sthanani bhaumani svarga-padani vyapadisanti. \nTRANSLATION\nAmong the nine varshas\, the tract of land known as Bharata-varsha is understood to be the field of fruitive activities. Learned scholars and saintly persons declare the other eight varshas to be meant for very highly elevated pious persons. After returning from the heavenly planets\, they enjoy the remaining results of their pious activities in these eight earthly varshas. \nPURPORT\nThe heavenly places of enjoyment are divided into three groups: the celestial heavenly planets\, the heavenly places on earth\, and the bila heavenly places\, which are found in the lower regions. Among these three classes of heavenly places (bhauma-svarga-pada-ni)\, the heavenly places on earth are the eight varshas other than Bharata-varsha. In Bhagavad-gita (9.21) Krishna says\, kshine punye martya-lokam visanti: when the persons living in the heavenly planets exhaust the results of their pious activities\, they return to this earth. In this way\, they are elevated to the heavenly planets\, and then they again fall to the earthly planets. This process is known as brahmanda bhramana\, wandering up and down throughout the universes. Those who are intelligent—in other words\, those who have not lost their intelligence—do not involve themselves in this process of wandering up and down. They take to the devotional service of the Lord so that they can ultimately penetrate the covering of this universe and enter the spiritual kingdom. Then they are situated on one of the planets known as Vaikunthaloka or\, still higher. Krishnaloka (Goloka Vrindavana). A devotee is never caught in the process of being promoted to the heavenly planets and again coming down. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says: \nei rupe brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva\nguru-krishna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija \nAmong all the living entities wandering throughout the universe\, one who is most fortunate comes in contact with a representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus gets the opportunity to execute devotional service. Those who are sincerely seeking the favor of Krishna come in contact with a guru\, a bona fide representative of Krishna. The Mayavadis indulging in mental speculation and the karmis desiring the results of their actions cannot become gurus. A guru must be a direct representative of Krishna who distributes the instructions of Krishna without any change. Thus only the most fortunate persons come in contact with the guru. As confirmed in the Vedic literatures\, tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: one has to search out a guru to understand the affairs of the spiritual world. Srimad-Bhagavatam also confirms this point. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam: one who is very interested in understanding the activities in the spiritual world must search out a guru—a bona fide representative of Krishna. From all angles of vision\, therefore\, the word guru is especially meant for the bona fide representative of Krishna and no one else. \nPadma Purana states\, avaishnavo gurur na syat: one who is not a Vaishnava\, or who is not a representative of Krishna\, cannot be a guru. Even the most qualified brahmana cannot become a guru if he is not a representative of Krishna. Brahmanas are supposed to acquire six kinds of auspicious qualifications: they become very learned scholars (pathana) and very qualified teachers (pathana); they become expert in worshiping the Lord or the demigods (yajana)\, and they teach others how to execute this worship (yajana); they qualify themselves as bona fide persons to receive alms from others (pratigraha)\, and they distribute the wealth in charity (dana). Yet even a brahmana possessing these qualifications cannot become a guru unless he is the representative of Krishna (gurur na syat). Vaishnavah sva-paco guruh: but a Vaishnava\, a bona fide representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead\, Vishnu\, can become a guru\, even if he is sva-paca\, a member of a family of dog-eaters. Of the three divisions of heavenly planets (svarga-loka)\, bhauma-svarga is sometimes accepted as the tract of land in Bharata-varsha known as Kashmir. In this region there are certainly good facilities for material sense enjoyment\, but this is not the business of a pure transcendentalist. Rupa Gosvami describes the engagement of a pure transcendentalist as follows: \nanyabhilashita-sunyam\njnana-karmady-anavritam\nanukulyena krishnanu-\nsilanam bhaktir uttama \n“One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Krishna favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.” Those who fully engage in devotional service to Krishna just to please Him are not interested in the three divisions of heavenly places\, namely\, divya-svarga\, bhauma-svarga and bila-svarga.
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