Mother Ganga by Swami Sivananda

The Indian people adore the Ganga, not only because like any other great river of the world She holds out manifold vital and economic utility, but because Her very Name evokes in the Indian heart, most inspiring associations. Through the Indian centuries, the sacred Ganga has housed on Her bewitching and enchanting banks, thousands of saints, sages, Yogis, Rishis, men of contemplation and supernormal powers. She also carries legends and myths about Herself that evoke wonder, inspire a sense of sanctity, and compel even the most rational person conceive a sense of sacredness for Her. The highest Indian aspirations, piety, ceremonies are bound up with the very name of the most beautiful river Ganga that takes Her origin right in the splendid snows and icy regions of the interior Himalayas, and courses through the plains of India, into the Bay of Bengal. Laboratory tests have conclusively proved the unique properties and the extraordinary value and uses of the water of the River Ganga. The endearingly cold, pure, sweet, germicidal water of the Ganga is rich in such minerals that purify as well as nourish the human body. While every Hindu adores the Ganga, Swami Sivananda's love for Her is unprecedented. He had been clinging to a small set of rooms on the bank of the Holy River for more than three decades, only because from there he could commune with the Mother always, day and night. This book is bound to inspire in the reader a new love, a new veneration for Jahnavi, for Bhagirathi, for Holy Mother Ganga that sanctifies the Punya Bhumi of Bharatavarsha. The first edition of this book was brought out in 1949. Much new material had now been added. The 'Sri Ganga (s) Sahasranama Stotram' has also been included in the present edition. We hope this book, in its present form, will be warmly received by the public. 18th June, 1994 THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY