{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/db/bk09ch14.htm","path":"hin/db/bk09ch14.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk09ch14.htm","text":"THE NINTH BOOK\nChapter XIV\nOn the story of Gang\u00e2 becoming the wife of N\u00e2r\u00e2yana\n1-2. N\u00e2rada said :-- O Lord! Gang\u00e2, Laksm\u00ee, Sarasvat\u00ee, and the world purifying Tulas\u00ee, these four, are dearest to N\u00e2r\u00e2yana. Out of these, Gang\u00e2 went from the region of Goloka to Vaikuntha. So I have heard. But how did She come to be the wife of N\u00e2r\u00e2yana. I have not heard. Kindly describe this.\n3. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- Brahm\u00e2 came from Goloka to the region of Vaikuntha accompanied by Gang\u00e2.\n4-23. Brahm\u00e2 said to N\u00e2r\u00e2yana :-- O Lord! Gang\u00e2, born of the bodies of R\u00e2dh\u00e2 and Krisna, full of youth, modest, extraordinarily beautiful, of pure Suddha Sattva, and void of anger and egoism, does not like to marry anyone save Thee as She is born of Thee. But R\u00e2dh\u00e2 is of a very proud nature and very wrathful. She was even ready to drink up Gang\u00e2. But Gang\u00e2 at once and intelligently took refuge into the feet of S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna. So the whole Goloka became void of water. Seeing this, I have come here to know in particular the whole history of the case. Then S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna, the Knower and the Ruler of the hearts of all, came to know my heart and instantly caused Gang\u00e2 to issue from His toe and handed Her over to me. I bowed down to S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna and now I have come with Gang\u00e2 to Thee. Now Thou dost marry the Sures'var\u00ee Gang\u00e2 according to the G\u00e2ndharva rule of marriage. As Thou art a Deva of taste and humorous in the assembly of the Devas, so Gang\u00e2 is. As Thou art a gem amongst the males, so She is the gem amongst the females. And the union of a humorous man with a humorous woman is exceedingly pleasant. Now marry this Lady who has come of Her own\naccord to Thee. S\u2019r\u00ee Mah\u00e2 Laksm\u00ee becomes annoyed with one who does not marry a woman who has come spontaneously. There is no doubt in this. The wise men do never insult the Prakriti. All the Purusas (males) are born of Prakriti and all the females are parts of Prakriti. So Prakriti and Purusa are both inseparable and verily one and the same. So these two should never insult each other. (If Thou sayest that Gang\u00e2 is attached to Krisna; how canst Thou marry Her. The reply is) As S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna is beyond the attributes and beyond Prakriti, so Thou art also above Prakriti. The one-half of S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna is two-armed; the other half of S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna is four-armed. R\u00e2dh\u00e2 has appeared from the left side of S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna. He Himself is the right half and Padm\u00e2 is His left-half. As there is no difference between R\u00e2dh\u00e2 and Kamal\u00e2 so there is no difference between S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna and Thee. Therefore as Gang\u00e2 is born of Thy body, she wants to marry Thee. As Prakriti and Purusa are really one and the same without any difference, so the males and females are one. Thus speaking to N\u00e2r\u00e2yana, Brahm\u00e2 handed Gang\u00e2 over to N\u00e2r\u00e2yana and went away. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana, then, married Gang\u00e2 smeared with sandal paste and flowers, according to the rules of the Gandarbha marriage. The Lord of Laksm\u00ee then spent his time happily in enjoyment with Gang\u00e2. Gang\u00e2 had to go to the earth (under the Bh\u00e2rati's curse) and afterwards returned to Vaikuntha. As Gang\u00e2 appeared from the feet of Visnu, She is denominated Visnupad\u00ee. Gang\u00e2 Dev\u00ee was very much overpowered with enjoyment in Her first intercourse with N\u00e2r\u00e2yana; so much so that She remained motionless. Thus Gang\u00e2 spent the days happily with N\u00e2r\u00e2yana. Sarasvat\u00ee\u2019s jealousy towards Gang\u00e2 did not disappear, though She was advised by Laksm\u00ee Dev\u00ee not to do so. Sarasvat\u00ee cherished incessantly the feeling of jealousy towards Gang\u00e2. But Gang\u00e2 had not the least feeling of jealousy towards Sarasvat\u00ee.\nAt last, one day, when vexed too much, Gang\u00e2 became angry and cursed Sarasvat\u00ee to take Her birth in Bh\u00e2rata. So Laksm\u00ee, Sarasvat\u00ee and Gang\u00e2 were the wives of N\u00e2r\u00e2yana. Lastly Tulas\u00ee became the wife of N\u00e2r\u00e2yana. So the number of wives of N\u00e2r\u00e2yana amounted to four.\nHere ends the Fourteenth Chapter in the Ninth Book on the story of Gang\u00e2 becoming the wife of N\u00e2r\u00e2yana in the Mah\u00e2puranam S\u2019r\u00ee Mad Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vy\u00e2sa.","title":"The Devi Bhagavatam: The Ninth Book: Chapter 14","type":"page"}