Once upon a time, in the huge assembly of Brahmaloka, graced by Lord Brahma (the creator) and other gods, and sages like Sanaka, there arrived Narada Muni, singing the glories of Gangottari and its magnificent beauty. Singing thus, accompanied by his melodious lute, he bowed down to the four-faced Lord Brahma with great devotion.

Brahmaji welcomed him and enquired about his welfare: “Please come and be seated here. I am seeing you after a long time. Hope all is well with you. Tell me about all the places you have visited in this time.”
Narada replied, “Roaming here and there in many worlds, finally I reached Gangottari, situated among the snowy peaks of the Himalayas. Covered with splendid forests and stately trees, arrayed with exotic flowers, the divine place resounded with the enchanting chirping of a variety of birds. Here it was that the river Ganga, originating from the holy feet of Lord Vishnu, descended from the heavenly regions and made herself visible to the eyes of human beings. Here shines the famous and sacred Bhagiratha Shila, on which Bhagiratha, the best among kings, stood in intense tapas for long. Having bathed in the holy Ganga there, and having worshipped her devoutly with a thousand names, I have come to you straight, singing the glories of Gangottari, the most excellent among holy places.”

Lord Brahma responded: “Blessed are you, O Sage! Having worshipped at the holy Gangottari tīrtha, your life is fulfilled forever. The place where Bhagiratha performed his penance is well-known in the three worlds. O Narada, know this sacred place to be a veritable Vaikuntha on Earth. There is no other place to match this in bestowing both prosperity and liberation. It is free from the evils of Kaliyuga and is the recreation ground of the holy Ganga. Hundreds of Śivaliṇgas and images of various deities are found here in abundance. Those pilgrims who visit this holy place and worship are indeed blessed, as it gives rise to pure sattva-guṇa. What a wonder that there is no sin, no corruption, no crookedness, no deceit, no hypocrisy, nor any sorrow here! It is a place of penance for ascetics and of contemplation for sages; it is the beloved abode of devotees and dispassionate ones. Rich it is with fruits, roots and tubers, endowed with many caves and thickets, serene, secluded and profound, a place fit for brahma-samādhi.”

“O Sire,” said Narada, “please tell me in detail the greatness of Gangottari and also how this name came about. O Grandsire of the entire world! Please tell me about the important places there that should be visited and worshipped. I wish to listen to all this directly from you, for who else except you knows it all!”

Lord Brahma said, “Well asked, O Sage! Listen to my words now. I shall tell you in brief about this holy secret that you have queried. The greatness of Gangottari is wondrous and awe-inspiring. It is not easily available even to gods. It should be guarded with great care. All kinds of people have obtained their desires and attained liberation by worshipping this holy place. It is well known that in Kaliyuga, when the minds of people are tainted by its typical flaws and laziness, there is no other means of attaining prosperity and liberation than the worship of the holy Ganga.”

“Even a glimpse of the holy Ganga is meritorious, so also a dip in her waters, living on her banks, chanting of her name and worship offered to her. Even a touch of the breeze sanctified by her waters can wash away one’s sins. The holy Ganga is the sole refuge in Kaliyuga for sinners who want to shed their sins, for those who want to fulfill their desires, for sufferers who want an end to their sorrows and for devotees who seek final liberation.”

“Verily, the supreme Brahman alone flows in the form of the river with the auspicious name of ‘Ganga’ in order to bestow upon man all the four puruṣārthas (dharma, artha, kāma and mokşa). The greatness of Ganga is more evident in the higher reaches. So, as far as possible, we should worship her at the higher altitudes.”

“How can the glory of Gangottari, the best among holy places, the peak of the northern region and the very birthplace of the holy river Ganga ever be described?”

“Since she came down to the earth, she became known as Ganga – gāṃ gatā hi tato gaṅgā. And now, on earth, her magnificent flow and terrific speed is wondrous indeed. The place where she flows northwards (uttara) is known as Gangottari. Or, since the heavenly Ganga came down from her abode, headed towards this spot, crossing over (uttarati) the outer space etc. it is called Gangottari. Or, O Narada, the place where the northern part (uttara) of Ganga shines forth is known as Gangottari. Or, the sacred place where the blessed Ganga alone is the supreme (uttara) deity, and none else, became famous as Gangottari. Or else, being the best means of crossing over (uttaraṇam) the ocean of saṁsāra, the region is known as Gangottari.”

Bhageeratha Shila

“O Son, now listen carefully about the important places worthy of worship situated in this great location. The best among them is the Bhageeratha Shila visited by you. King Bhageeratha did intense tapas there for 5500 years, eating only dry leaves. In this long period of time, an anthill formed around him. Pleased by his severe penance, I appeared before him and granted him the boon he desired. Ganga lives there along with Yamuna and is worshipped duly. These two beautiful glowing goddesses, one fair (Ganga) and the other (dark), appeared bedecked and bejewelled, with dangling earrings, in front of Bhageeratha, the grandson of Anshuman.”

“As of yore, today also they are visible in this sacred place to those great devotees who are dedicated to their lotus feet. There is no doubt about this. They are seen wandering among the forests full of deodar trees. Adorned with earrings and jingling golden waist-bands, smiling sweetly, lotus-eyed, seated on a golden throne, surrounded by many damsels, shaded with a white umbrella, fanned by Indra and other gods, the Mother of the three worlds, not easily attained by the denizens of the three worlds, resides here always with Yamuna, the daughter of the Sun-god. The abode of Ganga and Bhageeratha’s place of penance – great indeed is the sanctity of this Gangottari. Mortals attain immortality, absolved of all their sins, by bathing in the waters of the Ganga and worshipping her at this spot.”

“O Narada! This is the best place on earth to offer oblations to the ancestors. There is no time restriction for such rituals here; one can perform them in the day or at night. Whoever performs the rituals for their ancestors here, uttering their name and gotra, those ancestors, even if they be sinful, go to heaven.

“O divine sage, listen! Whoever makes offerings in fire for devas in this place, gets special rewards. The gold, silver, cows, grains and lands which are given to brāhmaṇas in charity at this place bear fruit immediately. There is no doubt that charity and other such actions performed here are a thousand times more fruitful than in holy places like Varanasi, Gaya, Haridwar etc. Where is Gangottari and where are Kashi and Gaya! Can a glow-worm shine in front of the brilliant sun? O Muni! Great tīrthas like Kashi assume divine forms and reside in this sacred place day and night to purify themselves.”

Gauri Kunda

“Behind the Bhageeratha Shila is Gauri Kunda of great sanctity and extraordinary beauty, which is visited by gods, and a mere glimpse of which is enough to destroy all sins.”

“The place where Kedara Ganga, flowing down from the peaks of Kedarnath, mingles with Jahnavi is a hallowed place. O Muni, it is wonderful to see the Ganga cascading down as a waterfall and to hear the deep reverberation of her continual thundering roar.”

“Goddess Gauri, surrounded by her companions, sports here; hence this place is known as Gauri Kunda. Lord Siva, the consort of Gauri, the lord of the universe, the leader of celestial beings, resides here along with his bhūta-gaṇas.”

“In this sacred place setutarpaṇa is to be performed. I shall tell you the method, listen carefully. The sand brought from Dhanushkoti is to be worshipped in the prescribed way with offerings of coconuts and sanctified with the chanting of Rudram etc. and offered in the Gauri Kunda devoutly by the best of ascetics. This is called setutarpaṇa and it is very meritorious. One who does the setutarpaṇa as specified, without any desires, is released from the cycle of births. There is no doubt about it. If it is performed with a specific desire, it is fulfilled soon. Whoever does setutarpaṇa thus is blessed indeed.”

“Listen further, O Muni! The water from the Ganga in Gangottari — carried by one who is pure internally and externally, who is devout and self-controlled, who walks on foot and follows the right values, who sleeps on the ground and eats very little — offered as ordained to the Sivalinga in Rameshwaram, installed by Sri Ramachandra in days of yore and worshipped by devatās, yields the state of Śiva-sāyujya to the one who does the abhiṣeka.”

Pandava Yajña Bhūmi

“Behind the Gauri Kunda is the sacred spot where the Pandavas performed yajña. A mere glimpse of it has the power to destroy all our sorrows. Following the advice and instructions of Sri Veda Vyasa, the Pandavas came to Gangottari to atone for the sin of killing their own kin. There, with due devotion and ordained rituals, they performed a deva-yajña with the help of brāhmaṇas. What a delightful place it is, vast and undisturbed! Even today, the residual ashes from the yajña can be seen there under the earth.”

“Nearby, see the Ganga gushing down from the mountain peak where reside the eleven Rudras. The great Gurus and those who have realised the Truth have thought well about how to elevate the mind attached to worldly thoughts gradually, step by step, effortlessly, and have invoked the appropriate devatās in the tīrthas. And these Rishis themselves resided in those places and worshipped them for the welfare of the people.”

Rewards of Pilgrimage

“When worship of the fire and tapas is not performed any more in this world, how will the weak mortal attain material welfare and ultimate liberation? Selfless worship of the divine Ganga destroys the accumulated sins of many lives and gives rise to great merits. Then likes, dislikes and other flaws of the mind are removed and then devotion for the Lord and (spiritual) knowledge is born. Even those who are not qualified for it attain such devotion and knowledge effortlessly.”

“The main result of all the pilgrimage, penance, self-study, worship, singing the praise of the Lord is the attainment of liberation; others are ancillary benefits. Just as children are lured by jaggery, the dull and worldly-minded people are given specific rewards as incentives to pursue virtuous actions. All the worldly pleasures seem desirable, but wise people do not desire them because they are impermanent and tainted by sorrow. Who, except fools, will undertake arduous pilgrimages for the sake of ephemeral gains?! The only reward we seek should be to please God and gain devotion which can release us from the miseries of the world.”

“’Bhagavan is the lord of the entire world and full of compassion for the devotee; I am but a worldly jīva, an insignificant servant of His.’ With such duality in the intellect, the wise one begins worship of the Lord and attains the non-dual vision of the Lord in everything. The realisation that all is Brahman is the only actual means to liberation. Alas! Who attains it easily here? Until the continual unbroken knowledge of ‘All is Brahman,’ does not come about, the finite thought of ‘This is Brahman,’ is prescribed. ‘All this, moving and non-moving is pervaded by Īśvara,’ – such firm knowledge arises only with the practice of many lifetimes.”

“How can one who is unable to worship a gross form like a river or a stone idol worship the essential Truth of Īśvara which is subtler than the subtlest? Places endowed with natural beauty and other such fascinating things are worth seeing and contemplating upon. Holy places of pilgrimage are meant to make the mind that is extroverted and scattered among sense objects turn towards God. Even the contemplation on God with a form is difficult and hence a concrete symbol has to be given to those with a (spiritually) dull intellect. Somehow or other the roving mind that is tenaciously moving everywhere moment to moment has to be restrained and made single-pointed. Even a mind that is full of sinful thoughts should be made to entertain good thoughts through conscious effort, and then made thought-free. The Lord knows the thoughts and feelings of all people, and bestows the appropriate results to them.”

“Some people purify their hearts by adoring sacred places or worshipping deities like Rama or Krishna, others through japa, tapa, prayers or singing of hymns, yet others by self-study or contemplation on the scriptures. Some prefer to do prāṇāyāma and some others resort to meditation. Some do it by performing rituals or selfless actions, some by doing charity or service to mankind. Thus, without any desires, they worship God and purify their minds.”

“How can an impure mind agitated with hundreds of thoughts attain the state of thoughtlessness? Only a pure single-pointed mind capable of subtle thinking can come to know the highest Truth that is beyond the reach of the mind and the senses.”