I have been trying to conclude the last leg of our holiday excursion but lacking sufficient inspiration. The thrill of realizing my long cherished and somewhat manipulated wish of going to Haridwar is also eluding me.
It could not have been anything better, as we got a room in the OSHO Hotel, just facing The Ganga, giving the best view from the balcony. What else could we hope for, coming without prior booking? But we left Haridwar with a bitter feeling and rude shock not because my purse was picked - leaving me broke, for later I realized that such things are not uncommon in crowded places. The reason of my bitter feelings was about how Ganga is being commercialized by human intervention, exploiting the religious sentiments of the people, who come with their families and small children for the divine experience and educational and spiritual enlightenment.
The fabled sandhya aarati starts behind its scheduled time as the self professed custodians of Ganga make frenzied appeals to the people to donate money taking advantage of the huge number of people occupying the steps of the bank. Aarati is…when an image of Ganga Maiyya is brought out in a palki, for giving a wash with a much heard cassette playing in the background while the last desperate attempts to collect chanda or money continue…The aesthetic beauty of the much hyped aarati is lost in the crudeness of the atmosphere.
Next day I was stunned to find my purse had been cleaned of all its paper notes. Fortunately R’s money was intact so there was nothing to worry about. R was proving herself superior in every respect, bringing the rude realization that with her around I tended to loose my guard. R wanted to have a darshan of Mansa Devi situated on the top of a hill but we had fallen in a trap by paying advance money for two day’s stay in the hotel. So we had one more day in Haridwar.
Next day we selected a secluded bank avoiding the sandhya aarati. Time just goes by like the running water singing, dancing, rippling and sprinting gleefully. So many old memories were coming to mind. A poem learned from mother in praise of Ganga. It ran like this…
Devi Sureshwari Bhagwati Gange,
Tribhuwana Tarini Taral Tarange,
Shankar Mouli Niwasini Vimale,
Mama Mati Rastang Tava Pada Kamale,
Bhagirathi Sukhadayini Matah
Tava Jala Mahima Nigame Khyatah
Naham Jane Tava Mahimanam
Trahi Kripamayee Mamagyanam
Sitting on the banks we tried to imagine Ganga emanating from the jata of Lord Shiva, led by Raja Bhagirathi to liberate the cursed souls of the 60,000 sons of Raja Sagar (Mahabharat). The evening had set in. It was time to leave and we got up much against our wishes. We used to buy our evening meal from the hundreds of stalls that prepared the most delicious vegetarian dishes. R would make me stand at a spot like a statue while she sprinted around in search of the best Rabri that we had got addicted to.
Ganga is the life line of North India. I wish it is left alone and hundreds and thousands of sal leaf baskets with flowers and earthen lamps are not floated by way of offerings to Ganga leaving Ganga pollution free of all kinds. That would be our best offering and way of worshiping her (hope I have not stirred a hornet’s nest).
To be concluded…
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- In our retired lives we are delving into the shelves of our bookcase - books brought for this day to which our daughters keep making more additions. We immerse ourselves in them - national geographic, shantaram, qurratulain hyder, day of the jackal…and so much more. Wandering through this world of ‘golpo-s’, I had the inspiration to share some too…
7 comments:
MoD why do you sound so low this time? And even though I did ask you to stand at one place so I could find you in that madness I dont remember your ever heeding me. And the only one time that you did you decided to stand with your back to the carry bag that you were supposed to be guarding. Remember?
Hornet's nest!!..what did you wrote that will cause such a stir, the commercialization of Ganga, people using it for there personal gain ..playing with religious values and sentiment of masses, its all there for everyone to see..
So..i guess now since Kashi and Haridwar are over, its about time you think about going to Rameshwaram..beautiful place..2 km long bridge over the ocean..(and With AD in Chennai, things couldnt be any easier..isnt it!!)
What does that poem you learnt from Didima mean? And tell us the story of Ganga's origin. I did not know this part of Mahabharata. I saw the Ekta Kapoor version on u-tube - and it seemed that Ganga, the apsara, was given a shraap to descend on earth because once in a company of different devtaas, her pallu slipped a little revealing her modesty (though how I cannot imagine, because it was not as if the clothes that she was wearing were 'modest'...or the clothes that other women wear were 'modest'... i had a hard time figuring out what the standards of modesty were...but that is another story)...And when her pallu slipped, the other devtaas looked away - but Shantanu kept staring at her - so both of them were condemned to descend on earth...
That is one story - are there other stories?
Incidentally - if you see the episodes relating to Ganga in Ektaa Kapoor's Mahabharata - they sing so many praises in worship of Ganga in their usual flashy style.
But even when I saw it - I felt sad - because of the state of Ganga now. Epics like Mahabharata can be used today - to wake up people and their conscience.
Otherwise what else is the relevance of the Epics today?
But KD those people do not realise that what they are doing is harming Ganga. I dont know if youve been to Hardwar, one part of it is the commercialisation by the section which stands to gain ie the pandits, the other part is the mad display of devotion. All the frenzied bathing and puja and immersing of diyas is also in praise of Ganga and a manifestation of devotion. How do you make them understand that their devotion is eco unfriendly? they dont need any more religious texts to back up their devotion. I wish they would just think of Ganga as a beautiful part of nature to be enjoyed and preserved. But thats not possible in India. what is required is for the Govt to take things into its hands and stop all this nonsense before it goes out of its hands like Yamuna did. But that is again impossible in India. Like Ma says, on the second day we decided to sit away from the main bank far from the maddening crowd and just watched the Ganga flow. If we had not done that, we would have returned with vary sad thoughts about Hardwar.
Aroop
Thanks for sticking to my travel account and your very encouraging comments. Hornest’s nest – because of religious sentiments, a very sensitive subject…
Let’s see, when R is ready to plan our next trip. She is preparing herself, for the extra exertions implied in traveling with me hahahahahaha
R (chui mui)
Don’t be so touchy, u need’nt give any explanation. You know, I can go anywhere holding ur lil finger. .
KD please add the next two lines in the poem. It has been written by Adi Shankaracharya.
Naham Jane Tava Mahimanam
Trahi Kripamayee Mamagyanam
Meaning
O, Goddess Ganga, you are the redeemer of the three realms. Your abode was the jata of Lord Shiva. Take my salutations.
You are the giver of happiness. The goodness of thy water has been extolled in the Vedas and Puranas. I am ignorant. Please have mercy on me and redeem me from the depth of ignorance
Hi,
I had the incredible good fortune of hearing a recording of M.S. Subbulakshmi singing the Ganga Arati.. the one that you have mentioned... "Devi Sureshwari Bhagawati Gange" and was hoping that you might know where i could find a copy... also... is that the sum total of the poem or is there more to it?
Will check on your blog...
Thanks a pile
R
i had googled 'sri ganga stuti mp3' when i was directed to your blog. do you happen to have the mp3 audio of the mantra?
happy mahalaya by the way :)
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