For Hindus, spirituality is an integral part of everyday life; it permeates every level of culture. Thus, Ganga figures into numerous everyday rituals Hindus perform, and for many her presence is a most auspicious and sacred blessing. Due to this reverence for Mother Ganga, one can find hundred of temples line the entire length of Ma Ganga.
During all rituals, pujas, and yagna/havan ceremonies – rituals which are performed every day throughout India – Ganga acts as a purifier. Before beginning, participants drink from her waters and wash their hands, ritually purifying themselves for the ceremony. Gangajal (the sacred water of Ganga) is considered to be so powerful that if you mix even one drop into a bucket full of normal water, the entire volume will become regarded as the holy Ganga.
Ganga is not just interwoven into all stages of Hindu culture, but it is even believed that by worshipping Ganga alone can elevate the soul to attain the highest merit. Fortunately, Hindu scriptures not only tell of the glories of those who should be worshipped and why they should be worshipped, but they also tell us exactly how to worship them. According to ancient Hindu scriptures there are seven main ways to worship Ganga:
- By calling out her name: “O Gange, Gange!”
- Having darshan (divine glimpse or presence) of her
- By sparsh (divine touch) of her waters
- By worshipping her
- By taking a snan (bath) in her
- By standing in the waters of the river
- By carrying clay dug out of the river
It is believed that if you are able to snan (ritually bathe) in Ganga at least once in your lifetime, than you are very fortunate. Even more fortunate are those who have the opportunity to visit and stay on her banks and meditate, serve and self-reflect, and most fortunate are those who have the blessing to live on her banks forever. Along her banks, thousands of Hindus come to bathe in her waters and have her darshan every day, but this is not mere bathing. During this bath, Hindus chant prayers, offer her nectar to their ancestors, and perform arghya (the offering of sacred water to the Sun), showing a humble acknowledgement that all they have to offer really belongs to her. There is a beautiful line in a popular Hindu bhajan that says, “Tera tujhko aarpan kai laagya hai more.” This essentially means, “That which You have given us – which is really everything – we humbly offer back to You.”
Hindu saints have long known that Vedic mantras, chanting and sincere prayer hold powerful positive vibrations that can penetrate down to the atomic level of all objects, animate or inanimate. In fact, there is now scientific research showing this to be true.
There is, in fact, a special prayer that can evoke the power of Ganga into normal water before bathing. Essentially, this is another alternative offered to the sincere seeker to worship their beloved Ganga if they cannot be on her banks and take a dip in her. In this ritual, the expression of piety and devotion are key. The prayer is offered to the seven sacred rivers (of whom Ganga is supreme), representing the seven divine Hindu Goddesses, for it is believed that merely mentioning their revered names cleanses and purifies one’s body and soul. The mantra is:
Gange ca Yamune caiva Godaavari Sarasvati
Narmade Sindhu Kaaveri jalasmin sannidhim kuru
“O Holy Mother Ganga! Yamuna! O Godavari! Sarasvati! O Narmada! Sindhu! Kaveri!
May you all be pleased to manifest in these waters (with which I shall purify myself).”
However, performing these rituals alone does not bring about her grace, as it is through bhakti (deep devotion) and surrender that she becomes more than just another river. It is through devotion, grace and love that one experiences the magnificent Goddess who delivers her devotees to moksha (liberation).
Just as true devotees can never praise and glorify their beloved enough, at night Ganga devotees perform aarti, another expression of their deep gratitude. The Ganga Aarti (a bhajan venerating Mother Ganga is sung at sunset along the banks of Ganga while devotees rhythmically move in sweeping circular motions lit dias or oil lamps, symbolizing the light that the Sun and Ganga offer to us every day. Aarti is way of giving thanks to God, and on the banks of Mother Ganga the ceremony is performed to the Goddess herself, for providing every day – with no hesitation, no vacation, no discrimination and no expectation – for all people. In essence, it is a prayer to recognize the divinity and magnificence of Ganga, signifying all of Nature, and requests that we in turn be graced to become like them.