Ganga Dussehra Story. Hindulogy vrat & festival's story. Indian mythology stories. Curse & boon stories. Hindu vrat & tyohar stories in English. Puran stories in English. Sage Bhagirathi & Goddess Ganga's popular story. River Ganga's popular story from the Shiv Puran.
Ganga Dussehra is a festival celebrated on the tenth day (Dashami) of the waxing moon (Shukla Paksha) in Jyeshtha. When this day coincides with a Monday and the Hasta Nakshatra (constellation), it is considered especially auspicious and powerful for destroying even the gravest sins. The descent of the Ganga (Ganga Avataran) is believed to have occurred on a Wednesday under the Hasta Nakshatra, which adds further significance to the occasion.
On this day, bathing in the Ganges, giving charity, and performing ancestral offerings (tarpan) are believed to absolve ten kinds of sins—hence the name Dussehra (meaning “destroyer of ten sins”). Bathing in the Ganges on this day holds immense spiritual importance. It is believed that such a bath purifies a person of all sins. Even the water from the Ganges, when stored for an entire year, does not decay.
The Legend:
In ancient times, there was a king named Sagar who ruled in Ayodhya. He had two queens—Keshini and Sumati. Keshini gave birth to a son named Anshuman, while Sumati gave birth to sixty thousand sons.
Once, King Sagar performed the Ashwamedha Yajna (horse sacrifice ritual). As part of the ritual, a horse was released to roam freely. To disrupt the yajna, Indra (the king of gods) stole the horse and tied it at the hermitage of sage Kapila.
King Sagar then sent his sixty thousand sons to find the horse. While searching, they eventually reached Kapila Muni’s hermitage and found the horse tied there. At that time, the sage was deep in meditation. The sons of Sagar, assuming Kapila was the thief, started shouting “thief! thief!” and disturbed his penance. The sage’s meditation was broken, and in a fury of divine fire, all sixty thousand sons were reduced to ashes.
Later, Anshuman, upon his father’s orders, searched for his brothers. When he reached Kapila Muni’s hermitage, the great Garuda (divine eagle) narrated the entire incident to him. Garuda also told Anshuman that to liberate the souls of his brothers, he must bring the Ganga down from heaven to earth. He advised him to first complete the yajna by returning the horse to his father, and then begin the process of bringing the Ganga down.
Anshuman completed the yajna and later undertook penance to bring the Ganga to earth, but he was unsuccessful. His son Dilip also tried and failed. Finally, Bhagirath, the son of Dilip, began intense penance at the holy place of Gokarna to bring the Ganga down.
Years passed, and at last, Lord Brahma was pleased with Bhagirath’s penance. He granted him the boon of bringing the Ganga to the earthly realm. However, there was a concern: who would withstand the force of the Ganga as she descended from Brahma’s kamandalu (water vessel)? Brahma explained that no one on earth had the strength to bear her power except Lord Shiva. Therefore, Bhagirath was advised to please Lord Shiva.
Bhagirath then stood on one toe and worshipped Lord Shiva with great austerity. Pleased with his devotion, Shiva agreed to receive the Ganga in his matted locks. As Ganga descended from the heavens, Shiva captured her in his hair, preventing her from flooding the earth. For several years, the Ganga remained trapped in Shiva’s locks.
After repeated pleas from Bhagirath, Shiva finally released Ganga from his hair. The river began to flow joyfully through the Himalayan valleys and moved toward the plains. On her way, she passed the hermitage of sage Jahnu. Irritated by the disturbance to his penance, Jahnu swallowed the entire river. After Bhagirath’s humble prayers, the sage released the Ganga from his thigh. Since then, she has also been known as Jahnavi—the daughter of Jahnu.
Passing through many places, the Ganga finally reached Kapila Muni’s hermitage and purified the ashes of Sagar’s sixty thousand sons, granting them liberation (moksha). At that moment, Lord Brahma appeared again and praised Bhagirath’s efforts and penance. He declared that, in honor of Bhagirath, the Ganga would also be known as Bhagirathi. He instructed Bhagirath to return and rule Ayodhya. Saying this, Brahma disappeared.
In Hindi Roman
Ganga Dussehra ek tyohar hai jo Jyeshtha ke Shukla Paksha ki Dashami tithi ko manaya jata hai. Jab yeh din Somvaar aur Hasta Nakshatra ke saath aata hai, toh ise vishesh roop se shubh aur paap-nashak mana jata hai. Ganga ka prithvi par avataran (Ganga Avataran) budhvaar ke din Hasta Nakshatra mein hua tha, jo is avsar ko aur bhi mahatvapurna banata hai.
Is din Ganga mein snan karna, daan dena, aur pitron ke liye tarpan karna das prakaar ke paapon se mukti dilata hai—isi wajah se ise “Dussehra” kaha jata hai (arthaat: “das paapon ka naash karne wala”). Is din Ganga mein snan ka atyadhik adhyatmik mahatva hai. Mana jata hai ki aisa snan vyakti ko sabhi paapon se pavitra kar deta hai. Ganga ka jal, jab ek saal tak sambhal kar rakha jaye, toh bhi kabhi kharab nahi hota.
Hindu vrat aur Tyohar ki stories. In Indian mythology, the Hindu story of the river Ganga. Devi Ganga ki vrat katha.
Ganga River ki Hindi Katha:
Prachin samay mein Ayodhya mein Sagar naamak raja rajya karte the. Unki do raniyan thi—Keshini aur Sumati. Keshini se ek putra Anshuman janma, aur Sumati se saath hazaar putra janme.
Ek baar Raja Sagar ne Ashwamedh Yagya kiya. Is yagya ke antargat ek ghoda chhoda gaya jo swatantra roop se bhraman kare. Devtaon ke raja Indra ne is yagya ko vighnit karne ke liye us ghode ko chura liya aur use Kapil Muni ke ashram mein baandh diya.
Raja Sagar ne apne saath hazaar putron ko ghoda dhoondhne bheja. Khojte-khojte ve Kapil Muni ke ashram pahunch gaye aur wahan ghoda bandha hua paya. Us samay Kapil Muni gahri tapasya mein leen the. Sagar ke putron ne Kapil ko chor samajh kar “chor! chor!” chillaana shuru kar diya aur unki tapasya bhang kar di. Kapil Muni krodhit hue, aur unki divya agni se saare saath hazaar putra bhasm ho gaye.
Baad mein, Anshuman ne apne pita ke aadesh se apne bhaiyon ki talaash ki. Jab ve Kapil Muni ke ashram pahunch, to maha-vishnu pakshi Garud ne pura ghatna kram unhe bataya. Garud ne kaha ki unke bhaiyon ko mukti tab milegi jab Ganga swarg se prithvi par aayegi. Usne yah bhi kaha ki pehle ghode ko lekar yagya poora karo, fir Ganga ko laane ki tapasya shuru karo.
Anshuman ne yagya poora kiya aur baad mein Ganga ko prithvi par laane ke liye tapasya ki, parantu ve asafal rahe. Unke putra Dilip ne bhi koshish ki, par ve bhi asafal rahe. Aakhir mein Dilip ke putra Bhagirath ne Gokarna mein kathin tapasya ki.
Varshon baad, Bhagirath ki tapasya se prasann hokar Brahma ji ne Ganga ko prithvi par bhejne ka vardan diya. Lekin samasya thi—Ganga ke tej pravah ko kaun sahaayega? Brahma ne kaha ki prithvi par kewal Bhagwan Shiv hi is shakti ko jhel sakte hain. Isliye Bhagirath ko Shiv ki aradhana karne ka sujhav diya gaya.
Bhagirath ne ek pair par khade hokar kathor tapasya ki aur Bhagwan Shiv prasann hue. Shiv ne Ganga ko apni jataon mein dhaaran karne ka vachan diya. Ganga swarg se giri, lekin Shiv ne use apni jataon mein baandh liya taki prithvi doob na jaaye. Kai varshon tak Ganga unki jataon mein bandhi rahi.
Bhagirath ke lagataar prarthana ke baad Shiv ne Ganga ko apni jataon se mukta kiya. Ganga anand mein Himalaya ki ghatiyon se hote hue maidaanon ki taraf behne lagi. Raaste mein ve Jahnu Rishi ke ashram se gujri. Jahnu Rishi ki tapasya mein vighna padne par unhone poori Ganga ko pee liya. Bhagirath ke vinamra prarthana par rishi ne Ganga ko apni jangha se chhod diya. Tab se Ganga ka ek naam Jahnavi bhi pada.
Anant sthalon se hoti hui Ganga ant mein Kapil Muni ke ashram pahunchi aur Sagar ke saath hazaar putron ki bhasm ko pavitra karke unhe moksha pradaan kiya. Tab Brahma phir prakat hue aur Bhagirath ki tapasya aur purusharth ki prashansa ki. Unhone ghoshna ki ki Bhagirath ke samman mein Ganga ka ek naam Bhagirathi bhi hoga. Uske baad Brahma ne Bhagirath ko Ayodhya lautne aur rajya sambhalne ka aadesh diya aur antardhaan ho gaye.
