The Story Of Ganga

Bhagirath stood on one foot and prayed,

For years without moving, he had thus stayed.

Rigorous fasting, severe penance,

Unwavering, steadfast perseverance.

His ancestors, their souls needed release,

They had been cursed, sage Kapila they had displeased.

Incurring his wrath, his fury, his ire,

They turned to ashes, as if singed by fire.

Aimlessly their souls floated around,

No entry to the gates of heaven could be found.

Brahma with Bhagirath was greatly pleased,

His endeavours he wanted him to cease.

The souls wandered lonely, they were in need,

If he sent the mighty Ganga, they would be freed.

Ganga who had washed Lord Vishnu's feet when poured,

Ganga who in Brahma's 'kamandalam' was stored.

Ganga to earth would be sent,

In his 'kamandalam', Brahma made a vent.

Ganga the waters pure and white,

Tumbled from the heavens, from the very heights.

Turbulent, tempestuous, full of might,

Raw power almost blinding one's sight. 

Lord Shiva, Bhagirath did invoke,

Ganga unleashed he knew could provoke.

With increased fervour, he prayed more,

As Ganga fell with a deafening roar!

Shiva then his locks unfurled,

Round Ganga's watery sides he twirled.

A little pressure, a little squeeze,

Bemused, he controlled her with ease.

Gently he released her in three streams,

Watched her cascade, sparkle and gleam.

Bhagirath in his chariot led,

Earth with her waters was amply fed.

Down the Himalayas, she danced, she tripped,

Over jagged stones and narrow strips.

Fields turned fertile when she was seen,

Forests she turned lush and green.

All came to take a dip,

'Bhagirathi' they hailed, they worshipped.

Rishi Jahnu's ashram, she did see,

Lost in a trance, he seemed to be.

Full of caprice, she, the ashram did flood,

Mounds of debris, heaps of mud.

Seething with fury, the sage wise,

Opened his mouth, swallowed her in a trice!

Poor Bhagirath fell on his knees,

Extracted a promise, she would no more tease.

Out of his ears as 'Jahnavi', she spurted out,

It seemed with glee, she did shout.

Gurgling with melody, she wound her way,

Flutes and pipes she seemed to play.

Healing with her touch, feathery light,

Purifying all within her sight.

From the heavens, to the earth, to the netherworld,

She gushed and fell in a pool, in a swirl .

The ancestor souls at last came to rest,

With her waters sprinkled, they were blessed.

Mother ganges, sacred, divine,

Bestowing salvation, holy, sublime.

Footnotes

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Kamandalam - An oblong water pot.
Bhagirathi - Name of the river Ganga who came down due to Bhagirath's penance.
Jahnavi - Name of the river Ganga who came out of sage Jahnu's ears.
Rishi - sage.

Samudra Manthan- The Churning Of The Milky Ocean

'Devas and 'Asuras' gathered around,
By a common vision they were bound.
Eyes scanned the milky ocean,
They watched the waters whirling in motion.
Buried deep in the womb they knew,
Was the 'elixir', the'amrit', the nectar, 'the giver of life anew'.

Mount' Mandara' in the centre stood firm,
Resting atop 'kurma' the tortoise they learnt.
'Vasuki', the snake coiled in the middle like a rope,
Devas and Asuras held either end trying to cope.
The head they pulled, the tail they turned,
The ocean to its depths they churned and churned...

Vasuki choked, gasped and exhaled soon,
Lethal,  potent , poisonous fumes.
The poison flowed, bubbled and seethed,
The Devas and Asuras in terror did breathe.
 
"Help us! What do we do?" they pleaded,
It was lord Vishnu to whom they alluded.
"Go to lord Shiva for him you have missed,
He and only he can deliver you from this!"

Lord Shiva opened his mouth without delay,
Consuming the poison was the only way.
The poison traced its lethal way down,
Goddess Parvati clutched his throat in alarm...
 
If the poison spread, mankind would be doomed,
The whole world would be plunged in deep gloom!
The throat changed its colours, its hues,
'Neelkanth' Shiva became when it reflected 'blue'.

Magic, mystique filled the air,
Breathtaking sights the ocean did bare...

Goddess Lakshmi rose resplendent in her finery,
With her glittering wealth, she lit up the scenery.
Nubile nymphs, 'apsaras' submerged,
Alluring, sensuous they now emerged.

Buffeted by the waves, 'Kamadhenu' was seen,
Bestowing wishes with 'Kalpataru' the tree evergreen.
Vishnu's 'conch' peeped and began to blow,
The 'Tulasi' plant drifted by with the flow.

Then came the 7 headed horse and the elephant white,
It was indeed a splendid sight!
On the waves they did ride,
Majestic, royal as they sat astride!

'Kaustubha' the precious gem sparkled and shone,
Lord Vishnu himself it was fit to adorn.
'Chandran' with his silvery sheen,
Rose to Shiva's crown, where he has since been.

A vision appeared  in divine splendour,
Breaths held, gasps of wonder...
It was the divine physician, the stately 'Dhanvantri',
Holding aloft the pitcher of' immortality'!

Eyes feasted overwhelmed by emotion,
Drinking in the 'amrit' the nectar, the divine, eternal potion...

Devas and asuras had put their differences aside,
Bridged the gap between them wide.
Unity and devotion had paved the way,
Divine immortality was here to stay.

Samudra manthan like a beacon, a ray,
Can be applied to the self, to life and its ways.
Journey to the self when it begins,
Churns and aligns the polarities within.
Balancing, integrating,
With the divine unifying,
Back to the primordial state of origin...

Life you view with a new awareness,
A stream of unified,pure consciousness,
Heady, intoxicating, universal,
An 'elixir', immortal, eternal .


Footnotes
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Devas - demi gods.
Asuras - Demons.
Neelkanth - The blue throated one (Shiva).
Kamadhenu - Name of the divine, wish fulfilling cow.
Kalpataru - Name of the divine, wish fulfilling tree.
Tulasi - The holy basil plant.
Apsaras - Divine nymphs.
Airavata - Name of the divine white elephant.
Uchhaishravas - Name of the divine 7 headed horse.
Chandran - the crescent moon.