गोलोकस्था च या गङ्गा सर्वत्रस्था तथाम्बिके । तदम्बिका त्वं देवेशी सर्वदा सा त्वदात्मजा
O Mother, Ganga who resides in Goloka and is present everywhere, that goddess is you, O Lady of the gods; she is always your daughter.
ब्रह्मणो वचनं श्रुत्वा स्वीचकार च सस्मिता । वहिर्बभूव सा कृष्णपादाङ्गुष्ठनखाग्रतः
Hearing the words of Brahma, she, smiling, accepted them; she appeared outside at the tip of Krishna's big toe.
तत्रैव सत्कृता शान्ता तस्थौ तेषां च मध्यतः । उवास तोयादुत्थाय तदधिष्ठातृदेवता
There, honored and peaceful, she stood among them; having arisen from the water, the presiding deity remained.
तत्तोयं ब्रह्मणा किञ्चित्स्थापितं च कमण्डलौ । किञ्चिद्दधार शिरसि चन्द्रार्धकृतशेखरः
Then a little of the water was placed by Brahmā in his water-pot, and a little was held on the head by him whose crest is adorned with the crescent moon.
गङ्गायै राधिकामन्त्रं प्रददौ कमलोद्भवः । तत्स्तोत्रं कवचं पूजां विधानं ध्यानमेव च
To Gaṅgā, Kamalodbhava (Brahmā) gave the Rādhikā-mantra, that hymn, the protective formula, the method of worship, and also the meditation.
सर्वं तत्सामवेदोक्तं पुरश्चर्याक्रमं तथा । गङ्गा तामेव सम्पूज्य वैकुण्ठं प्रययौ सह
All this, as stated in the Sāma Veda, along with the sequence of rites; Gaṅgā, having worshipped her, went to Vaikuṇṭha together.
लक्ष्मीः सरस्वती गङ्गा तुलसी विश्वपावनी । एता नारायणस्यैव चतस्रो योषितो मुने
Lakṣmī, Sarasvatī, Gaṅgā, and Tulasī, purifier of the world—these four are the wives of Nārāyaṇa, O sage.
अथ तं सस्मितः कृष्णो ब्रह्माणं समुवाच सः । सर्वकालस्य वृत्तान्तं दुर्बोधमविपश्चितम्
Then Kṛṣṇa, smiling, spoke to Brahmā: the account of all time is difficult to comprehend for those without insight.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच गृहाण गङ्गां हे ब्रह्मन् हे विष्णो हे महेश्वर । शृणु कालस्य वृत्तान्तं मत्तो ब्रह्मन्निशामय
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: Take Gaṅgā, O Brahmā, O Viṣṇu, O Maheśvara; listen to the account of time from me, O Brahmā, attend closely.
यूयं च येऽन्ये देवाश्च मुनयो मनवस्तथा । सिद्धा यशस्विनश्चैव ये येऽत्रैव समागताः
You, and the other gods, the sages, the Manus, the perfected beings, the illustrious—all who have assembled here—
एते जीवन्ति गोलोके कालचक्रविवर्जिते । जलाप्लुते सर्वविश्वं जातं कल्पक्षयोऽधुना
These live in Goloka, where the wheel of time does not operate; now, at the end of the kalpa, the entire universe has become submerged in water.
ब्रह्माद्या येऽन्यविश्वस्थास्ते विलीनाधुना मयि । वैकुण्ठं च विना सर्वं जलमग्नं च पद्मज
Those headed by Brahmā, who are in other universes, are now dissolved in me; except for Vaikuṇṭha, everything, O Padmaja, is submerged in water.
गत्वा सृष्टिं कुरु पुनर्ब्रह्मलोकादिकं भवम् । स्वं ब्रह्माण्डं विरचय पश्चाद् गङ्गा प्रयास्यति
Go, create again the world beginning with Brahmaloka; fashion your own universe, and afterward Gaṅgā will proceed.
एवमन्येषु विश्वेषु सृष्टौ ब्रह्मादिकं पुनः । करोम्यहं पुनः सृष्टिं गच्छ शीघ्रं सुरैः सह
Thus, in other universes also, I create again the world beginning with Brahmā; go quickly with the gods and make the creation anew.
गतो बहुतरः कालो युष्माकं च चतुर्मुखाः । गताः कतिविधास्ते च भविष्यन्ति च वेधसः
Much time has passed for you, O Four-faced one; many like you have come and gone, and will be, O Vedhasa.
इत्युक्त्वा राधिकानाथो जगामान्तःपुरे मुने । देवा गत्वा पुनः सृष्टिं चक्रुरेव प्रयत्नतः
Having spoken thus, the Lord of Rādhikā entered the inner chambers, O sage; the gods went and diligently performed creation again.
गोलोके च स्थिता गङ्गा वैकुण्ठे शिवलोकके । ब्रह्मलोके स्थितान्यत्र यत्र यत्र पुरः स्थिता
Gaṅgā remained in Goloka, in Vaikuṇṭha, in Śivaloka, in Brahmaloka, and wherever else she had previously been established.
तत्रैव सा गता गङ्गा चाज्ञया परमात्मनः । निर्गता विष्णुपादाब्जात्तेन विष्णुपदी स्मृता
There, by the command of the Supreme Self, Gaṅgā went forth; emerging from Viṣṇu’s lotus feet, she is known as Viṣṇupadī.
इत्येवं कथितं ब्रह्मन् गङ्गोपाख्यानमुत्तमम् । सुखदं मोक्षदं सारं किं भूयः श्रोतुमिच्छसि
Thus, O Brahman, the excellent story of Gaṅgā has been told—bestowing happiness, granting liberation, and containing the essence. What more do you wish to hear?
गङ्गायाः कृष्णपत्नीत्ववर्णनम् नारद उवाच लक्ष्मीः सरस्वती गङ्गा तुलसी विश्वपावनी । एता नारायणस्यैव चतस्रश्च प्रिया इति
The narration of Gaṅgā as Kṛṣṇa’s wife.
गङ्गा जगाम वैकुण्ठमिदमेव श्रुतं मया । कथं सा तस्य पत्नी च बभूवेति च न श्रुतम्
I have heard that Gaṅgā went to Vaikuṇṭha, but I have not heard how she became his wife.
श्रीनारायण उवाच गङ्गा जगाम वैकुण्ठं तत्पश्चाज्जगतां विधिः । गत्वोवाच तया सार्धं प्रणम्य जगदीश्वरम्
Śrī Nārāyaṇa said: Gaṅgā went to Vaikuṇṭha, and afterwards the creator of the worlds, having gone there, bowed to the Lord of the universe together with her.
ब्रह्मोवाच राधाकृष्णाङ्गसम्भूता या देवी द्रवरूपिणी । नवयौवनसम्पन्ना सुशीला सुन्दरी वरा
Brahmā said: The goddess who arose from the bodies of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, fluid in form, endowed with fresh youth, virtuous, beautiful, and excellent—
शुद्धसत्त्वस्वरूपा च क्रोधाहङ्कारवर्जिता । तदङ्गसम्भवा नान्यं वृणोतीयं च तं विना
Of pure sattva nature, free from anger and ego, born from their bodies, she chooses no one else but him.
तत्रातिमानिनी राधा सा च तेजस्विनी वरा । समुद्युक्ता पातुमिमां भीतेयं बुद्धिपूर्वकम्
There, proud Rādhā, radiant and excellent, was intent on drinking her up; this one, out of fear, acted with forethought.
विवेश चरणाम्भोजे कृष्णस्य परमात्मनः । सर्वत्र गोलकं शुष्कं दृष्ट्वाहमगमं तदा
She entered the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Self; seeing the whole Goloka dry, I then arrived there.
गोलोके यत्र कृष्णश्च सर्ववृत्तान्तप्राप्तये । सर्वान्तरात्मा सर्वेषां ज्ञात्वाभिप्रायमेव च
In Goloka, where Kṛṣṇa was, to learn all that had happened, the inner self of all, knowing everyone's intention—
बहिश्चकार गङ्गा च पादाङ्गुष्ठनखाग्रतः । दत्त्वास्यै राधिकामन्त्रं पूरयित्वा च गोलकम्
He brought Gaṅgā forth from the tip of his big toe, gave her the Rādhā-mantra, and filled Goloka with her.
प्रणम्य तां च राधेशं गृहीत्वात्रागमं प्रभो । गान्धर्वेण विवाहेन गृहाणेमां सुरेश्वरीम्
Bowing to her and to the Lord of Rādhā, having received the command, O Lord, marry this queen of the gods with the Gandharva rite.
सुरेश्वरेषु रसिको रसिकेयं समागता । त्वं रत्नं पुंसु देवेश स्त्रीरत्नं स्त्रीष्वियं सती
Among the lords of the gods, you are the connoisseur of rasa, and she is also a connoisseur, come together; you are the jewel among men, O Lord of gods, and she is the jewel among women, chaste.