[Sage Jahnu speaks] O Mother! You are the foremost, You are Shakti (power), You are incomparable, You are the support of everyone, You are pure, You give happiness and liberation to the worlds, and Your lotus feet is reverred by the whole universe. O Shiva, the one, Who is beyond everything, Who is respected by the head of Shiv! You are not known by the Veda, the destiny, the enemy of Smar (enemy of Kamdev or Shiv), and Hari; so what can I say about You?||1||
How will I explain Your forms and stories, Which is beyond the scope of living beings, and Which is beyond the banks of the ocean the cycle of life and death? [You are] the river of demi-gods and You are reverred by Brahma and others. O Shiva, the free willed One! having expanded Your mercy, You have taken a quality-filled form. O Ganga, O Ambika! Forgive me, who is taking your refuge, and who has committed an offence¹.||2||
Fortunate are my existence, my birth, my deeds, and my tough penance. Fortunate are my eyes that I am seeing You, Who is reverred by the One with three eyes (Shiv). Fortunate are my two hands which touched Your water form, and fortunate is my body which was associated with Your water for sometime.||3||
O Goddess, the one Who is the destroyer of sins, Who is situated in the tresses of Har (Shiv)! Salutations to You. O Goddess, Who has come down on earth for the benefit of the world! Salutations to You.||4||
O Goddess! O Ganga, the One Who endows us with heaven and emanicipation, Who is purifier of the sinner! I am seeking Your refuge. Please get happy with me and emanicipate me.||5||
Notes:
¹ Jahnu had blown a conch-shell to attract Ganga while Bhagirath was resting. When Ganga moved towards Jahnu, he swallowed the whole river in his mouth using Yoga-powers. However, Ganga came out piercing the thighs of the sage and he begged pardon after that. After that Ganga told Jahnu that She is like his daughter and henceforth Ganga will also be known as Jahnvi. (See Devi Purana)
Poet: Sage Jahnu
Source: Kalyan — Shakti Peeth Issue [Jan 2005]
© Stutimandal 2006, Mar 24.
