Indian Antiquary Vol 50

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 14

10
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JAN., 1921
B
he performed asceticism at Bindu-sarovara in the Himalaya. It will be observed that the Ramayana mentions only Gokarna, without definitely assigning its situation. A celebrated place known as Gokarna is situated in North Kanara between Kârwâr and Kumtâ in the Bombay Presidency. The Mahabharata and the Purdnas refer to it as a most sacred place of Siva worship, containing the temple of Mahâbâlesvara. But this Gokarna could not have been the Gokarna of tho Ramayana, which, from all accounts, was situated in the Himalaya. The Brihat-Náradiya Purana in its confused attempt to reconcile the two statements contained in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata caused Bhagiratha to deviate from his direct path from Ayodhya to the Himalaya while going there to perform asceticism, and brought him to the banks of the Godavarî. It should be stated that Gokarana was the hermitage of Gautama, after whom the Godâvart is called the Gautami." According to this Purana, Bhagiratha went from the Godavari to Nadisvara in the Himalaya and performed austerities there. Bindu-sarovara is situated two miles to the south of Gangotri, and close to Gangotri is Gomukhi. Hence Bindu-sarovara and Gomukhi are very close to each other. Go-karna (or cow's ear) of the Ramayana, therefore, has evidently been. transformed into the modern Go-mukht (or cow's mouth) where Bhagiratha performed asceticism. In fact, Fraser states in his Himalá Mountains that the present temple of the goddess Ganga or Bhagirathi near Gaurikunda, "a gunshot below Gungotree," is situated precisely on the sacred stone on which Bhagiratha used to worship Mahadeva. Nâdisvara is evidently the same as Bindu-sara or Bindu-sarovara.
As already pointed out, all the ancient works agree on three points regarding the course of the Ganges. They state that she is the daughter of the Himâlava, 10 which indicates that her source is in the Himalaya. The Ramayana, 11 which is the earliest of all the works which contain the legend about the Ganges, states that the river got the name of Bhagirathi in consequence of her having been brought to the earth by Bhagiratha. The Bhagirathi, therefore, which rises at Gangotri in the mountains of Garwal, is the primary and the holiest source of the Ganges. But the Mahabharata12 places the source at Badarikâérama, and by some of the Purdṇas13 the main
Source of the Ganges.
Matsya P., ch. 120, v. 27; Brahmanda P., ch. 51.
Brihat-Náradiya Purdna, Pt. I, ch. 16:
Bhagiratho maharajo jatachiradharo mune
Gachchhan himâdrim tapase prapto Godavari-taṭam. 2.
• Kurma Purana, I, ch. 20.
7 Biva Purana, I, ch. 54.
8 Major Thorn's Memoir of the War in India, p. 504: "Two miles lower down (the stream the Bhag rathi at its source) is a large rock or stone, called by the Hindus Gau Mukhi, or the cow's mouth for its supposed resemblance to the head and body of that animal."
ch. XXVIII, pp. 466-468.
10 Iyam Haimavati jyeshtha Ganga Himavataḥ suta. (This Ganga is the eldest daughter of Himå laya.) Ramayana, Adi, ch. 42, v. 23; see also Mbh., Anusasana, ch. 26.
11 Iyañcha duhita jyeshtha tava Ganga bhavishyati
Tvatkritene cha namnatha loke sthashya ti viruta. 5. Ganga tripathaga nama divya Bhagirathi cha. Trin patho bhavayantiti tasmat tripathaga Smritâ 6.
(This Ganga shall be your [ Bhagiratha's] eldest daughter, and she shall be celebrated in the world by the name conferred by you. This heavenly Bhagirathi shall also be known by the name of " Tripa. thaga"; because she goes by the three paths, therefore she would be celebrated as "Tripathaga"> Ramayana Adi, ch. 44.
13 Badariprabhava rajan devâryaganasevitâ. 4. [Oh king I she (Ganga) whose source is at Badari is worshipped by the Devas and Rishis]. Mbh., Vana, ch. 142.
13 Márkaṛdeya P., ch. 56; Karma P., I. ch. 46: Vardha P., ch. 82.