CHAPTER – 56
That foot of Narayana which is the sure refuge of Brahma, the cause of this fleeting world, the goddess of Ganga, who flows in three currents, proceeded from that. (1) Having entered into the source of nectar and the stay of the waters; (the moon) and from there, having been purified, and attaining powers for the purification of others through coming into relation with the rays of the sun, she fell on the back of the mount Meru, and from there flowed in four channels and fell in torrents obstructed by the ends of the mountains Meru and Kuta. (2) With her waters spread on all sides without any support, she fell at the feet of the mountains Mandara and others, and her waters were divided equally. (4) The waters fell in four currents, on the head of four different mountains, the eastern current well noted for its went to the garden of Chitraratha. (5) And having deluged it, it went to the lake Barunoda and from there to the mountain Shitanta, and thence gradually to other mountains. (6) And having descended to the earth, from mount Bhadrashwa it went (and fell) into the ocean. Similarly that current, of the name of Alakamanda, having gone to the Gandhamadana in the south, and the garden at the foot of the Meru, – Nandana, that which pleases the gods, and having by great force deluged the lake Manasa, and having similarly gone to the peak of the Prince of mountains, and from there to all the mountains that rise in the south, and having flooded them, found the great mountain Himagiri. There Shambhu held her, and he whose ensign is the bull (i.e. Shiva) would not release her. (7-10) The lord having been worshipped by Bhagiratha, by means of fasts and praises, released her. Released from there by Shiva the flooding great river, in seven channels entered the southern ocean; and also entered the eastern in three channels; and following the car of Bhagiratha in one current flowed towards the south. (11-12) Similarly that great river entered the large western foot of mount Meru, and from there under the name of Swarakshu went to the mountain Baibhraja. (13) From there the great river having flooded the lake Shitoda, having found the mountain Swarakshu went to mount Trikuta. (14) From there gradually falling on the top of the mountains and finding Ketumala, entered into the ocean called Lavana. (15) Similarly having gone to the Suparshwa, at the foot of the mount Meru, and attaining there the name of Soma, she went to the garden Sabitu. Having purified that she found next the lake Mahabhadra, from there the great river went to Shankhakuta. (16-17) From there having one after another found the mountains Brishabha and
others, and having flooded the northern Kuru country, she found the great ocean. (18) O thou bull among twice-born persons, thus is the story of the Ganges related to you by me, from her entering into the Jambudwipa, as also the Barshas in due form. (19) In all those Barshas commencing with that called Kimpurusha live creatures, full of happiness, free from fear, devoid of all inequalities of greater or less. (20) In all these nine Barshas there are, in each, seven mountains, called the Kula mountains, and in each there are rivers flowing from these mountains. (21) In the eight Barshas, O thou most excellent among the twice-born persons, commencing with that called the Kimpurusha, the waters flow from out of the womb of the earth; in Bharata, however, water is obtained from the clouds. (22) In these eight Barshas the attainment of people’s objects are of six kinds, namely, those that are called Barkshi, Swabhabiki, Deshya, Toyottha Manasi, and Karmaja. (23) The attainment of objects from divine trees that fulfil people’s desires, is called Barkshi, and that which fulfils itself is called Swabhabiki – natural Siddhi; and that which is due to the virtue of any peculiar country is Deshya; and that which is attained through the subtility of the waters is Toyottha Siddhi; and that which arises from meditation is called Manasi Siddhi, while that which results from works of divine worship is the Karmaja Siddhi. (24-25) Besides, in these Barshas there are neither mental pain nor disease, nor the conditions of the Yugas, and no works giving rise to merit and demerit; none of these are in these Barshas, O thou most excellent Brahmana. (26)