The goddess Ganges assumed the form of a river and flowed in the three worlds: celestial, terrestrial and underground. In the celestial region, it has three streams known as Swargaganga, Mandakini, and Alakananda. In the terrestrial region, it begins its course from Gangotri in the Himalayas to finally merge with the Bay of Bengal, and is known as the Ganges or Ganges River. Ancient texts say that seven streams of the Ganges flow on earth, namely Hladini, Pavani, Nalini, Sita, Sindhu, Suchakshu and Bhagirathi. In the underground region, Ganges is known as Vaitarini, and a deceased soul has to cross this river to get to hell. Vaitarini, is also known as Patala Ganga.
Some sources claim that Goddess Ganga flows in heaven as Mandakini, on earth as Ganga, and in the lower world as Bhogavati or Bhagirathi. Since it is present in Swarga, Prithvi and Patala, it is also known as Tripathaga or Tripathagamini, one that travels three ways or three worlds.
The purifying waters of the Ganges are the same in all three worlds and therefore anyone who bathes in the holy Ganges in any of the three worlds gets liberation from the cycle of birth. The soul achieves the four goals of life, namely, brahmacharya, artha, kama, and moksha. The soul is freed from all the shackles of life and death, remains united with the supreme soul, and bliss is obtained forever. The powers of the Ganges are limitless and must be experienced to fully understand the truth behind the sayings of the great monks, the great rishis and munis of India.
