गंगा अवतरण

Prachin kaal mein Ayodhya mein Sagar naam ke ek pratapi raja hue. Raja Sagar ne apni shakti badhane ke liye Ashwamedh Yagya karne ka nishchay kiya. Ashwamedh yagya mein ek ghoda chhoda jata tha jo sampoorn prithvi par vicharan karta. Jo raja ghode ko rokta use yuddh mein harana hota tha. Indra ko bhay hua ki Sagar ka yagya poorn hone par woh swarg ka raja ban jayega. Isliye Indra ne chalaki se yagya ka ghoda churakar Kapil Muni ke aashram ke paas baandh diya.

Raja Sagar ke saath hazaar putron ne ghode ki khoj aarambh ki. Unhone poori prithvi khoj daali parantu ghoda nahi mila. Ant mein unhone prithvi ko khodna shuru kiya aur paatal lok tak pahunch gaye. Wahan unhone Kapil Muni ke aashram mein ghoda bandha dekha. Sagar ke putron ne agyaanvash Kapil Muni ko ghoda chor samajhkar un par aakraman kar diya. Kapil Muni us samay gahan dhyan mein the. Jab unka dhyan bhang hua to unhone krodhit netron se dekha aur saath hazaar rajkumar tatkaal bhasma ho gaye.

Raja Sagar ke pautra Anshuman ne Kapil Muni se kshama maangi aur apne poorvajon ki mukti ka upaay poocha. Kapil Muni ne bataya ki yadi swarg se Ganga nadi prithvi par aaye aur uska jal in bhasma avsheshon par pade to hi inki aatmaon ko mukti milegi. Anshuman ne tapasya ki parantu safal nahi hue. Unke putra Dilip ne bhi jeevanbhar tapasya ki parantu Ganga ko prithvi par nahi la paye.

Dilip ke putra Bhagirath ne apne poorvajon ka adhoora karya poora karne ka dridh sankalp liya. Bhagirath ne rajya ka tyaag karke hazaron varshon tak kathor tapasya ki. Unhone Brahma ji ki tapasya ki aur antatah Brahma ji prakat hue. Bhagirath ne Ganga ko prithvi par bhejne ki prarthana ki. Brahma ji ne kaha ki Ganga swarg se seedhe prithvi par girengi to unke prachand veg se prithvi paatal mein dhans jayegi. Isliye pehle Bhagwan Shiv se prarthana karo ki ve Ganga ko apni jataon mein dhaaran karein.

Bhagirath ne phir Bhagwan Shiv ki kathor tapasya ki. Shiv ji prasann hue aur Ganga ko apni jataon mein dhaaran karne ko taiyar ho gaye. Ganga ko apaar abhimaan tha ki ve swarg ki nadi hain aur unke veg ko koi sehan nahi kar sakta. Unhone socha ki apne prabal pravaah se Shiv ji ko bhi paatal mein baha le jayengi. Parantu jab Ganga poore veg se Shiv ji ki jataon mein girin to ve unki jataon mein ulajhkar reh gayin. Ganga ka abhimaan choor ho gaya.

Bhagirath ki prarthana par Shiv ji ne Ganga ko apni ek jata se prithvi par chhoda. Ganga saat dharaon mein bantkar prithvi par utarin. Bhagirath apne rath par sawaar hokar Ganga ko maarg dikhaate hue chale. Ganga Bhagirath ke peeche-peeche behti gayin. Maarg mein Ganga ki dhara ne Rishi Jahnu ke aashram ko baha diya. Krodhit Jahnu Muni ne Ganga ko pee liya. Bhagirath ne Jahnu Muni ki stuti ki to unhone Ganga ko apne kaan se bahar nikala. Tabhi se Ganga ko "Jahnavi" bhi kaha jata hai.

Bhagirath Ganga ko lekar us sthaan par pahunche jahan unke poorvaj saath hazaar rajkumar bhasma hue the. Ganga jal ke sparsh se sabhi aatmaon ko mukti mili aur ve swargalok ko gayin. Bhagirath ki athak tapasya aur adig sankalp ke kaaran Ganga ko "Bhagirathi" bhi kaha jata hai. Aur kisi atyant kathin karya ko "Bhagirath Prayas" kaha jata hai.

Ganga nadi aaj bhi Bharat ki sabse pavitra nadi maani jati hain. Gangotri se nikalkar Bengal ki khaadi tak behti Ganga crodon logon ko jeevan deti hain. Ganga snaan se paapon ka naash hota hai — aisi atoot shraddha Bharat ke crodon logon ki hai. Ganga Dussehra aur Ganga Saptami ke avasar par Ganga Avtaran ki yeh pavan katha suni aur kahi jati hai. Bhagirath ki katha hamein sikhaati hai ki sachchi lagan, atal sankalp aur poorvajon ke prati shraddha se asambhav karya bhi sambhav ho jaate hain.