INFATUATED GODDESS GANGA

Ganga is a river that offers inimitable charm to the serenity of mountains of Himalayas. She is indisputably a jewel in the crown of the great mountain range. Not only for her scriptural loftiness but also for her matchless beauty that resonates with vibrations of tranquillity this is a unique river, water of which is most salubrious. Even after merging into the sea its water retains its properties for miles together. She is still worshipped by holy men and laymen of India alike with profound veneration. Lord Srikrishn says in Bhagavad-Gita that among stationary objects on earth he is the Himalayas. Among rivers, he is the river Ganga. As Lord Srikrishn is the possessor of best of the objects in the cosmos, the most respected of all rivers Ganga also appeared first in Golok alone.

She came into being from the perspiration of divine couple-Lord Srikrishn and Radha and flowed in Golok quietly. With life, begin the tales of attraction and repulsion.  Governed by the principle of 'like to like' one feels variable magnitude of attraction only to those who resemble in qualities with oneself. As a stronger magnet attracts a smaller one or only the basic constituent of itself-iron, no other substance, so does one spontaneously and helplessly feel attracted to others in nature.

Goddess Ganga also felt attracted to his creator helplessly.  She was matchlessly beautiful and failed to get away from the inescapable charm of Lord Srikrishn. Driven by the desire to impress and win him, she appeared in front of him in her most charming form. Having veiled her glowing countenance, she appeared before stealthily smiling Lord Srikrishn with a blushing face. Lord Srikrishn welcomed her and offered a seat with warmth. Enthralled by the unfailing magnetism of Lord Srikrishn and an equally matching hearty welcome, she kept on gloating over his charming face without an eye blink. Aura of the dark-skinned master charmer of Golok absolutely absorbed the heart of innocuous Ganga. The duo kept on drinking each other’s charm through eyes that could not afford to rest without satiating their esurience for each other’s love in a fix as if stupefied by the mutually magnetic attraction.

The negative forces often ruffle the harmony inherent in nature. So does it happen that the flame of longing issuing from the desirous hearts is often put out by the garrulous wind of envious intentions.  The same phenomenon occurred when longing of goddess Ganga found her way to satiation.  Radha, the indisputable queen of Golok along with her battery of officious and agile maids entered the scene and authoritatively took her seat beside husband Lord Srikrishn.

Her eyebrows quivered in awe and lips fluttered in piercing wrath. Her gaze and red hot faced augured that the moment of catastrophe was inevitably imminent. Lord of Golok was surrounded by an array of devout gopis who awaited a mere signal from their queen to take the master to task.

An alert and tactful Lord Srikrishn got up from his throne. A broad smile sported on his lips. He began to glibly shower profound praise over Radha, in a bid to mitigate her possible grudge against him. The servitors of lord of Golok also stood up and began to salute and praise their queen to calm her down. Lord Srikrishn also joined his followers and began to offer devotional words to appease his queen. Ganga turned pale yet got up and offered greetings to the queen of Golok. Inwardly, she got afraid of Radha and prayed to Lord Srikrishn to protect her from the wrath of his queen. Her throat and lips parched out of nervousness. She lowered her neck and most officiously began to pray to the stealer of her heart. Omniscient Lord Srikrishn subtly appeared in her heart and convinced her of his protection. Ganga felt relieved. She glanced at the queen of Golok now. What she found was that Radha was not only matchlessly beautiful but also equally spiritually magnetic. Ganga kept on watching the face of efflorescent Radha. Being the mother of numerous Lord Brahmas since eternity, she was beyond comparison and beyond description yet she looked hardly as aged as an adolescent. She was incarnation of tranquillity, tenderness, purity, auspiciousness, glory and single empress of feminine charm. Her appearance fully justified her status of being the ruler over the heart of lord of Golok. Helpless and hypnotized Ganga felt inert out of reverence to her.

Radha however, did not fail to sense an erotic affair going on behind her back between the fawning husband and goddess Ganga. She threw a meaningful glance at the duo. A smile sported at her glowing countenance. Hinting to Ganga, she addressed obsequious Lord Srikrishn, -"O, the Ruler of my heart! Who is this incarnation of auspices, seated beside you and gloating at your lotus face unwinkingly with such an enticing smile? Her eyes are red out of desire. Your charm has almost brought her close to swooning. Her entire figure is enthralled as she is helplessly throwing glances at you through her veil. You used to be so desirous only in my company. But now as I see, even in my sheer presence such an affair is going on.." Radha was out to express her displeasure at the plausibly fresh affair of her magnetic husband.

Lord Srikrishn however preferred perfect silence. The mighty mountain does not allow its flakes of snow to fly and fritter away when stormy winds collide against its peaks. So did Lord Srikrishn remain unperturbed and unnerved. Suspicion and jealousy had turned Radha’s heart into a live volcano. The lava of fierce envy irrupted in words, -"I have been seeing these kinds of affairs earlier also. Only out of my sincere love I ignored such things and let you go for females are tender and innocent by nature. O lord of deities! If you are going to repeat the same scene, then better get off from this Golok along with her, or else get ready to face the consequences!" effused her thoughtless decree to Lord Srikrishn and Ganga who however, did not fail to maintain silence and poise in the moments of violent turbulence that had devoured the queen of Golok.

Radha was sure of her suspicion and went on steaming her cathartic criticism of dark-skinned Lord Srikrishn who still looked grave and calm like an unruffled ocean. “In the past I caught you with Virja in Chandanvan but only on the suggestion of my mentors I forgave you. Just on hearing me approaching you, you made her invisible. She then shed her form and took to the appearance of a river. She is still flowing there, standing a witness to your amorous adventures. But when I went away, you reappeared before her and began to lament for her, crying-‘O Virje!,Ohh..  Virje!...”  Being a siddh-yogini, she emerged from the water and blessed you with her association. You embraced her and impregnated her to beget seven sons... Later on I caught you with Shobha in Champakvan whom also you concealed on hearing me reaching near. She renounced her body to enter into Chandramandal. She then turned into luscent light. You spread her amidst gems, gold, wise men, damsel's faces, kings, garments, silver, sandal paste, water, foliages, flowers, fruits, ripe grains, palaces and temples. Then I caught you with Prabha in Vrindavan. You again, on hearing my arrival, caused her to vanish. She entered into Suryamandal and turned into warm light. You lamented for her and spread her aura amidst eyes, fire, kings, masses, deities, thieves, snakes, Brahmans, munis, tapaswies, women, and eminent persons. After distributing her so you again mourned for her. In Raasmandala, you were once found with Shanti on the flowerbed, offering betel leaves to each other. On hearing me reaching there, you fearfully hid her somewhere. She then calmly merged into you. She turned into a formless property.  You bemoaned at that and spread her amidst Lord Vishnu, sattvik Lakshmi, vaishnavas who chant your mantra, tapaswies, dharma and righteous persons. I also caught you in deep sleep with Kshama once. You had put on the best of attire and ornaments, wore floral garland and smeared yourself with sandalwood paste. Both of you rejoiced on a floral bed studded with precious gems. I woke both of you up and took away your Pitamber, Flute, Vanamala (necklace made of wild flowers), Kaustubh Mani, and Earrings. When you and gopis implored I gave you back your belongings. Out of shame, you turned dark and that is the reason that even now you look dark! Kshama entered the earth. You shed tears for her and spread her amidst Lord Vishnu, Vaishnavites, Religious ones, and Weak ones, Tapaswies, Deities and Pundits." Radha's anger was fuming like a chain of volcanoes but Lord Srikrishn stood there as firm and quiet as the snow-clad Himalayas.”Lord! I have narrated the saga of your amorous adventures. Is there more, you wish to hear? I very well know all about you and your properties.......” She then stared at Ganga who stood there with her head hung down in sheer bash.

Ganga, having witnessed the wrath of furious Radha and sensing the aftermath, renounced her corporeal form and turned into water through yog. This further inflamed the wrath of Radha. Her suspicion had turned into confirmation. Enraged, she began to drink water from everywhere through yog in search of goddess Ganga. A terrified Ganga secretly took shelter in the feet of Lord Srikrishn. Lord Srikrishn had already given his gracious vision in meditation to Ganga and had assured her of his protection. Such is the style of prankster Lord Srikrishn as to first create ripples of uncertainty and then offer assurances to his deserving devotees.

As Radha went on taking in water from everywhere, the entire creation including earth became waterless. Life on earth was in peril. Creatures began to die en masse. It seemed that the world had lost its preserver and sustainers. Wailing of bereaved humanity rent the three spheres. Faithful people prayed to their guardian deities to come to their rescue. The deities too failed to explore the cause of catastrophe and felt helpless.

Terrified deities and enlightened men prayed to Lord Srikrishn for showering his grace. Even Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiv got perturbed and reached Golok along with other deities. Humbled and dismayed they prayed to Radha-Lord Srikrishn to save the creation from the unprecedented draught.

All were confused and felt distraught. After all, how could God punish his innocent creatures without any fault on their part? The reason of divine wrath was beyond the comprehension of even Trinity who were pleadingly awaiting the denouement and expecting a word of relief from the Parents of Universe.

When trinity offered oblations to parents of Universe, they graced the deities with their divine vision. In the bright light appeared Lord Srikrishn and cast a calm and comforting glance at the audience. The audience was all ears to the Guardian of Universe. The guardian is omniscient and omnipotent everyone of the audience knew. However, knowing the sports of guardian fully was certainly beyond the limit of imagination for each one and even all of them put together, was the truth, they all realized. Moreover, who had the courage to ask the Lord as to what had brought about this catastrophe? Who after all was responsible for the sordid plight of all creatures in the Universe? None could utter a single word.

Their silence however, expressed their anxiety that Lord of Golok knew. He gracefully got up from his golden throne and addressed the Trinity. "I know you have come to take Ganga but she is hiding out of fear of…. Radha." Lord Srikrishn expressed the cause and consequences of entire episode in a few words. Brevity is the soul of wit and a genius is that who sees things in the seed. Wise deities followed the secret of silence of their oceanic Lord Srikrishn.

Lord Brahma, being the wisest could sense the entire sequence of events that had preceded and culminated in the present scenario. He rose to the occasion, and in his mellowed voice appeased, and convinced Radha by explaining that being born of Radha and Lord Srikrishn, Ganga was like a daughter to her. She should not feel envious of her affection towards Lord Srikrishn. The words of Lord Brahma in presence of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiv instilled tranquillity and trust in the anxious hearts of both of the goddesses. Both Radha and Ganga felt relieved and Ganga appeared from the toe of Lord Srikrishn to enter Lord Brahma's Kamandala as hinted by Lord Srikrishn.

Lord Brahma obeyed Lord Srikrishn and brought Ganga from Golok to hand her over to Lord Vishnu. Ganga turned into a resplendent goddess in Vaikunthalok. Lord Vishnu the closest form of Lord Srikrishn married her in Vaikunthalok. Thus, Lord Srikrishn fulfilled the wish of Goddess Ganga tactfully. Ganga became a favourite wife of Lord Vishnu.

King Bhagirath of Ayodhya won a boon of bringing Ganga on the earth after performing great penance. Lord Shiv agreed to receive her in his mated locks. Being a lover of Lord Lord Srikrishn, Lord Shiv considered him fortunate to lodge the darling goddess of Lord Srikrishn in his locks. He let loose his one lock and Ganga turned into a river flowing from the Gangotri glacier at the Himalayas. Alaknanda and Mandakini join and merge into her in the way. The sea, being the son of Lord Srikrishn, became her husband as ordained by Lord Brahma.