GANGA AND THE KAVERI CONNECTION

GANGA AND THE KAVERI CONNECTION

( SROTASAAM ASMI JAAHNNAVI—Gita X-31—Among rivers I am the Ganges)

The post titled “The history of Ganga, the divine river” by Sree Srinivasan Raju Aiyer was quite an eye opener and a wake up call to all who revere and worship the holy river. After giving us such an insight into the mighty Ganga, I couldn’t resist my temptation to pen something more on the Ganga viz. its connection with another holy river Kaveri.
According to a popular legend, once a year during the Tulaamaasa when Sun enters Tulaa Raasi, the river Ganga comes from Kasi, joins Kaveri underground in order to purify herself from the pollution caused by the crowds of sinners who bathe in her (Ganges) waters all the year round!!! People believe Kaveri to be as sacred as the Ganga throughout its course, with the same power to wash off all one’s sins.
Kaveri forms part of the Sapta Sindhu or the ‘Seven Sacred Rivers’. It originates from the Brahmagiri, Talakaveri in the Coorg district (the Western Ghats). There are several legends about how the river Kaveri was created. According to one of the most popular versions, when the Great Ocean was churned by the devas and the asuras in order to obtain amritam, the elixir of life, Lord Vishnu created Mohini, a nonpareil of infinite charm and appeal, to distract the asuras and restore the elixir to the devas. Goddess Lakshmi also sent along Lopamudre, an incarnation of Parvathi, to assist Mohini.
After the elixir was successfully restored to the devas, Mohini retired to Brahmagiri and turned into a rocky cave. Lord Brahma himself adopted Lopamudre as his daughter. After some years Kavera, a sage of renown, came to the Brahmagiri to meditate. Kavera was lonely and prayed to Lord Brahma that he might be blessed with a child. Brahma was pleased by Kavera’s devotion and gave him Lopamudre for a daughter, renaming her ‘Kaveri’.
Kaveri was very keen that her adopted father should have every happiness and prosperity in life as well as a land full of good and happy people. So she returned to Brahmagiri and prayed to Lord Brahma that she might turn into a river and flow through the country, pouring her blessings on the people and turning the land green and fertile. She also prayed that her waters might be so holy that all those who took a dip in it might be freed from all their sins. Brahma granted her both the boons readily and Kaveri was happy.
But something else was to happen to her before the boons could be fulfilled. Sage Agastya happened to see Kaveri when she was deep in meditation on the Brahmagiri. He fell in love with her and asked her to marry him. Although her heart was set on turning into a river of blessings, Kaveri could not refuse sage Agastya. But she made him promise that if ever he left her alone too long she would have the right to forsake him and go her way. Agastya promised and kept his word faithfully for some time.
But one day he got busy in a theological discussion with his disciples and lost track of time. Kaveri waited patiently for a while. After many hours had passed and there was no trace of the sage she jumped into Agastya’s special holy tank and flowed from there like a river. As soon as the disciples of Agastya saw what had happened they tried to stop her from flowing away. But Kaveri promptly went underground and appeared again at Bhaganda Kshetra and flowed on toward Valambari and finally into the Bay of Bengal. And it has been worshipped as a sacred river throughout its course ever since.
And finally those wonderful 12 names of Ganga maataa (one recites after a bath, while wiping ones limbs with a dry cloth?)--- Nalini nandini sita malini ca mahapagavisnu padarghya sambhuta Ganga tri patha gamini bhagirathi bhogavati jahnavi tridasesvari.

Warm rgds
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10th Aug 06.