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Ninth Skandha · Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Unit 231 of 318Ninth Skandha · Chapter 14Ninth Skandha · Chapter 141 source entries

Ninth Skandha · Chapter 14

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नारद उवाच लक्ष्मीः सरस्वती गङ्‌गा तुलसी विश्वपावनी । एता नारायणस्यैव चतस्रश्च प्रिया इति ॥ १ ॥ गङ्‌गा जगाम वैकुण्ठमिदमेव श्रुतं मया । कथं सा तस्य पत्‍नी च बभूवेति च न श्रुतम् ॥ २ ॥ श्रीनारायण उवाच गङ्‌गा जगाम वैकुण्ठं तत्पश्चाज्जगतां विधिः । गत्वोवाच तया सार्धं प्रणम्य जगदीश्वरम् ॥ ३ ॥ ब्रह्मोवाच राधाकृष्णाङ्‌गसम्भूता या देवी द्रवरूपिणी । नवयौवनसम्पन्ना सुशीला सुन्दरी वरा ॥ ४ ॥ शुद्धसत्त्वस्वरूपा च क्रोधाहङ्‌कारवर्जिता । तदङ्‌गसम्भवा नान्यं वृणोतीयं च तं विना ॥ ५ ॥ तत्रातिमानिनी राधा सा च तेजस्विनी वरा । समुद्युक्ता पातुमिमां भीतेयं बुद्धिपूर्वकम् ॥ ६ ॥ विवेश चरणाम्भोजे कृष्णस्य परमात्मनः । सर्वत्र गोलकं शुष्कं दृष्ट्वाहमगमं तदा ॥ ७ ॥ गोलोके यत्र कृष्णश्च सर्ववृत्तान्तप्राप्तये । सर्वान्तरात्मा सर्वेषां ज्ञात्वाभिप्रायमेव च ॥ ८ ॥ बहिश्चकार गङ्‌गा च पादाङ्‌गुष्ठनखाग्रतः । दत्त्वास्यै राधिकामन्त्रं पूरयित्वा च गोलकम् ॥ ९ ॥ प्रणम्य तां च राधेशं गृहीत्वात्रागमं प्रभो । गान्धर्वेण विवाहेन गृहाणेमां सुरेश्वरीम् ॥ १० ॥ सुरेश्वरेषु रसिको रसिकेयं समागता । त्वं रत्‍नं पुंसु देवेश स्त्रीरत्‍नं स्त्रीष्वियं सती ॥ ११ ॥ विदग्धया विदग्धेन सङ्‌गमो गुणवान् भवेत् । उपस्थितां स्वयं कन्यां न गृह्णातीह यः पुमान् ॥ १२ ॥ तं विहाय महालक्ष्मी रुष्टा याति न संशयः । यो भवेत्पण्डितः सो ऽपि प्रकृतिं नावमन्यते ॥ १३ ॥ सर्वे प्राकृतिकाः पुंसः कामिन्यः प्रकृतेः कलाः । त्वमेव भगवान्नाथो निर्गुणः प्रकृतेः परः ॥ १४ ॥ अर्धाङ्‌गं द्विभुजः कृष्णो योऽर्धाङ्‌गेन चतुर्भुजः । कृष्णवामाङ्‌गसम्भूता बभूव राधिका पुरा ॥ १५ ॥ दक्षिणांशः स्वयं सा च वामांशः कमला तथा । तेनेयं त्वां वृणोत्येव यतस्त्वद्देहसम्भवा ॥ १६ ॥ एकाङ्‌गं चैव स्त्रीपुंसोर्यथा प्रकृतिपूरुषौ । इत्येवमुक्त्वा धाता तां तं समर्प्य जगाम सः ॥ १७ ॥ गान्धर्वेण विवाहेन तां जग्राह हरिः स्वयम् । नारायणः करं धृत्वा पुष्पचन्दनचर्चितम् ॥ १८ ॥ रेमे रमापतिस्तत्र गङ्‌गया सहितो मुदा । गङ्‌गा पृथ्वीं गता या सा स्वस्थानं पुनरागता ॥ १९ ॥ निर्गता विष्णुपादाब्जात्तेन विष्णुपदीति च । मूर्च्छां सम्प्राप सा देवी नवसङ्‌गमलीलया ॥ २० ॥ रसिका सुखसम्भोगाद्‌रसिकेश्वरसंयुता । तां दृष्ट्वा दुःखिता वाणी पद्मया वर्जितापि च ॥ २१ ॥ नित्यमीर्ष्यति तां वाणी न च गङ्‌गा सरस्वतीम् । गङ्‌गा शशाप कोपेन भारते च हरिप्रिया ॥ २२ ॥ गङ्‌गया सह तस्यैव तिस्रो भार्या रमापतेः । सार्धं तुलस्या पश्चाच्च चतस्रश्चाभवन्मुने ॥ २३ ॥

nārada uvāca lakṣmīḥ sarasvatī gaṅ‌gā tulasī viśvapāvanī | etā nārāyaṇasyaiva catasraśca priyā iti || 1 || gaṅ‌gā jagāma vaikuṇṭhamidameva śrutaṃ mayā | kathaṃ sā tasya pat‍nī ca babhūveti ca na śrutam || 2 || śrīnārāyaṇa uvāca gaṅ‌gā jagāma vaikuṇṭhaṃ tatpaścājjagatāṃ vidhiḥ | gatvovāca tayā sārdhaṃ praṇamya jagadīśvaram || 3 || brahmovāca rādhākṛṣṇāṅ‌gasambhūtā yā devī dravarūpiṇī | navayauvanasampannā suśīlā sundarī varā || 4 || śuddhasattvasvarūpā ca krodhāhaṅ‌kāravarjitā | tadaṅ‌gasambhavā nānyaṃ vṛṇotīyaṃ ca taṃ vinā || 5 || tatrātimāninī rādhā sā ca tejasvinī varā | samudyuktā pātumimāṃ bhīteyaṃ buddhipūrvakam || 6 || viveśa caraṇāmbhoje kṛṣṇasya paramātmanaḥ | sarvatra golakaṃ śuṣkaṃ dṛṣṭvāhamagamaṃ tadā || 7 || goloke yatra kṛṣṇaśca sarvavṛttāntaprāptaye | sarvāntarātmā sarveṣāṃ jñātvābhiprāyameva ca || 8 || bahiścakāra gaṅ‌gā ca pādāṅ‌guṣṭhanakhāgrataḥ | dattvāsyai rādhikāmantraṃ pūrayitvā ca golakam || 9 || praṇamya tāṃ ca rādheśaṃ gṛhītvātrāgamaṃ prabho | gāndharveṇa vivāhena gṛhāṇemāṃ sureśvarīm || 10 || sureśvareṣu rasiko rasikeyaṃ samāgatā | tvaṃ rat‍naṃ puṃsu deveśa strīrat‍naṃ strīṣviyaṃ satī || 11 || vidagdhayā vidagdhena saṅ‌gamo guṇavān bhavet | upasthitāṃ svayaṃ kanyāṃ na gṛhṇātīha yaḥ pumān || 12 || taṃ vihāya mahālakṣmī ruṣṭā yāti na saṃśayaḥ | yo bhavetpaṇḍitaḥ so 'pi prakṛtiṃ nāvamanyate || 13 || sarve prākṛtikāḥ puṃsaḥ kāminyaḥ prakṛteḥ kalāḥ | tvameva bhagavānnātho nirguṇaḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ || 14 || ardhāṅ‌gaṃ dvibhujaḥ kṛṣṇo yo'rdhāṅ‌gena caturbhujaḥ | kṛṣṇavāmāṅ‌gasambhūtā babhūva rādhikā purā || 15 || dakṣiṇāṃśaḥ svayaṃ sā ca vāmāṃśaḥ kamalā tathā | teneyaṃ tvāṃ vṛṇotyeva yatastvaddehasambhavā || 16 || ekāṅ‌gaṃ caiva strīpuṃsoryathā prakṛtipūruṣau | ityevamuktvā dhātā tāṃ taṃ samarpya jagāma saḥ || 17 || gāndharveṇa vivāhena tāṃ jagrāha hariḥ svayam | nārāyaṇaḥ karaṃ dhṛtvā puṣpacandanacarcitam || 18 || reme ramāpatistatra gaṅ‌gayā sahito mudā | gaṅ‌gā pṛthvīṃ gatā yā sā svasthānaṃ punarāgatā || 19 || nirgatā viṣṇupādābjāttena viṣṇupadīti ca | mūrcchāṃ samprāpa sā devī navasaṅ‌gamalīlayā || 20 || rasikā sukhasambhogād‌rasikeśvarasaṃyutā | tāṃ dṛṣṭvā duḥkhitā vāṇī padmayā varjitāpi ca || 21 || nityamīrṣyati tāṃ vāṇī na ca gaṅ‌gā sarasvatīm | gaṅ‌gā śaśāpa kopena bhārate ca haripriyā || 22 || gaṅ‌gayā saha tasyaiva tisro bhāryā ramāpateḥ | sārdhaṃ tulasyā paścācca catasraścābhavanmune || 23 ||

English translation

1-2. Narada said O Lord! Ganga, Laksmi, Sarasvati, and the world purifying Tulasi, these four, are dearest to Narayana. Out of these, Ganga went from the region of Goloka to Vaikuntha. So I have heard. But how did She come to be the wife of Narayana. I have not heard. Kindly describe this.

3. Narayana said Brahma came from Goloka to the region of Vaikuntha accompanied by Ganga.

4-23. Brahma said to Narayana O Lord! Ganga, born of the bodies of Radha and Krisna, full of youth, modest, extraordinarily beautiful, of pure Suddha Sattva, and void of anger and egoism, does not like to marry anyone save Thee as She is born of Thee. But Radha is of a very proud nature and very wrathful. She was even ready to drink up Ganga. But Ganga at once and intelligently took refuge into the feet of S’ri Krisna. So the whole Goloka became void of water. Seeing this, I have come here to know in particular the whole history of the case. Then S’ri Krisna, the Knower and the Ruler of the hearts of all, came to know my heart and instantly caused Ganga to issue from His toe and handed Her over to me. I bowed down to S’ri Krisna and now I have come with Ganga to Thee. Now Thou dost marry the SuresVari Ganga according to the Gandharva rule of marriage. As Thou art a Deva of taste and humorous in the assembly of the Devas, so Ganga is. As Thou art a gem amongst the males, so She is the gem amongst the females. And the union of a humorous man with a humorous woman is exceedingly pleasant. Now marry this Lady who has come of Her own accord to Thee. S’ri Maha Laksmi becomes annoyed with one

who does not marry a woman who has come spontaneously. There is no doubt in this. The wise men do never insult the Prakriti. All the Purusas (males) are born of Prakriti and all the females are parts of Prakriti. So Prakriti and Purusa are both inseparable and verily one and the same. So these two should never insult each other. (If Thou sayest that Ganga is attached to Krisna; how canst Thou marry Her. The reply is) As S’ri Krisna is beyond the attributes and beyond Prakriti, so Thou art also above Prakriti. The one-half of S’ri Krisna is two-armed; the other half of S’ri Krisna is four-armed. Radha has appeared from the left side of S’ri Krisna. He Himself is the right half and Padma is His left-half. As there is no difference between Radha and Kamala so there is no difference between S’ri Krisna and Thee. Therefore as Ganga is born of Thy body, she wants to marry Thee. As Prakriti and Purusa are really one and the same without any difference, so the males and females are one. Thus speaking to Narayana, Brahma handed Ganga over to Narayana and went away. Narayana, then, married Ganga smeared with sandal paste and flowers, according to the rules of the Gandarbha marriage. The Lord of Laksmi then spent his time happily in enjoyment with Ganga. Ganga had to go to the earth (under the Bharati's curse) and afterwards returned to Vaikuntha. As Ganga appeared from the feet of Visnu, She is denominated Visnupadi. Ganga Devi was very much overpowered with enjoyment in Her first intercourse with Narayana; so much so that She remained motionless. Thus Ganga spent the days happily with Narayana. Sarasvati’s jealousy towards Ganga did not disappear, though She was advised by Laksmi Devi not to do so. Sarasvati cherished incessantly the feeling of jealousy towards Ganga. But Ganga had not the least feeling of jealousy towards Sarasvati.

At last, one day, when vexed too much, Ganga became angry and cursed Sarasvati to take Her birth in Bharata. So Laksmi, Sarasvati and Ganga were the wives of Narayana. Lastly TulasT became the wife of Narayana. So the number of wives of Narayana amounted to four.

Here ends the Fourteenth Chapter in the Ninth Book on the story of Ganga becoming the wife of Narayana in the Mahapuranam S’ri Mad Devi Bhagavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyasa.

Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 24497, revision 112057 (2017-06-24T08:40:35Z). English is Swami Vijñanananda’s complete 1921–23 public-domain translation, controlled against the archival OCR and its chapter page at https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk09ch14.htm. Historic spelling and transliteration are lightly normalized; no verse-by-verse alignment is asserted.