Ganga Mahatmya 

Lord Krishna says in the Gita: "Among streams, I am the Ganga".

Devi Bhagavatam: "He who utters 'Gange, Gange' even from a distance of hundreds of kilometers, becomes purified from all sins, and attains Vaikuntha, the world of Vishnu."

Lord Dhanvantari: "When the body is afflicted by senility and diseases, the holy water of Mother Ganga is the medicine, and Lord Narayana (Hari), from whose Feet Mother Ganga emanates, is the great physician."

Sri Sankara: "Even a little study of the Bhagavad Gita, or drinking of a little Ganga water, and worship even once of Murari, will make one immune to Yama, the Lord of Death."

Prayer to Ganga

1. Om, obeisance to Ganga, identical with Siva and the bestower of happiness! Obeisance, obeisance, obeisance to you in the form of Vishnu! Obeisaince to you in the form of Brahma!

2. I bow to you in the form of Rudra, Sankari (benefactress)! Obeisance to you in the form of all gods! Obeisance to medicine personified!

3. Obeisance to you, the most excellent physician of all ailments of all people! Obeisance to you, the destroyer of the poisons arising from mobile and immobile beings!

4. Hail to you, the destroyer of the poison of worldly existence! Obeisance to the enlivener! Repeated obeisance to you, the destroyer of the three types of distresses, the Goddess of the vital breath!

5. Obeisance to the Goddess, the cause of lasting peace! Obeisance to you of pure form! Obeisance to the purifier of everything! Obeisance to you in the form of the enemy of sins!

6. Repeated salutes to the bestower of all worldly pleasures and salvation! Obeisance to the bestower of welfare! Obeisance to the bestower of pleasure here and hereafter! Obeisance to you, the river in the nether worlds!

7. Obeisance to Mandakini! Obeisance to the bestower of heavenly pleasures! Obeisance to the triple-streamed one!

8. Obeisance to the holy river abiding in the three white ones (pure ones, namely, its source, Prayaga and confluence with the sea)! Obeisance, obeisance to the one with forbearance. Obeisance to the one abiding in the three types of fire! Obeisance to the brilliant one!

O Adorable Mother Ganges! 

by Sri Swami Sivananda

O adorable Mother Ganga, the Shakti of Lord Siva,Prostrations and adorations unto Thee!

Thou art the creatrix and nourisher of the world.People address Thee as "Bhagirathi", "Har Har Gange",

I know well Thy story, O dear Mother,

Once King Bhagiratha brought Thee down

To purify the ashes of his grandfathers,

Lord Siva took Thee in His matted locks,

Thou takest origin in Gaumukh, beyond Gangotri,

Thou passest through Uttarkashi, Rishikesh and Haridwar,

Thou purifiest the Punyabhumi of Bharata Varsha;

Thou finally mergest in Ganga Sagar;

Thou art Bhrantinashini and Jagatjanani;

Thou adornest the head of Gangadhar,

Thou art the nectar of immortalilty that gives salvation,

Thou art Mahamaya, Adishakti and Avyaktam,

People sing "Gange Lahari" in the evening,

They do Arati with Bhav and devotion;

They raise Jaya Jayakar: "Ganga Mayee Ki Jai!",

They worship Thee with flowers and Prasad,

Thou art Jnana Ganga, the wisdom nectar,

Thy subtle form is in the celestial regions,

Thy gross form only human beings behold here,

Thou pervadest the world as subtle Chidakasa,

Thou hast attracted the people of the whole world,

Thy name has holy associations and vibrations,

A dip in Thee refreshes and purifies the heart,

Millions flock to Thee during Kumbha Mela,

Thou art the purest water on earth,

No germs can thrive in Thee,

This is the finding of the scientist in his laboratory,

Thou art sparkling and clear as crystal,

A drop on the tongue at the moment of death gives Moksha,

Yogins and Sadhus do Tapas on Thy banks in cottages,

Thou deliverest them from the rounds of births and deaths,

Who can describe, O Mother, Thy glory and splendour?

Will a day come to me, Beloved Mother,

To sit on a block of stone on Thy bank,

To shed continuous tears of Prem on Thy lap,

And merge in Thee for ever and ever?

O all-powerful Mother of compassion and love,

Bless me with Thy Grace and mercy,

Destroy my darkness and ignorance,

Remove the veil and show Thy true form,

I am thine, O Mother, Thou art mine,

The sense of duality has vanished now,

The bridge that separates us has broken now,

Let me dwell in Thee, Mother, for ever and ever.