DEVAKULYA – Granddaughter of Sage Marici

Devakulya washed the feet of Vishnu, and she was reborn as the river goddess Ganga. This myth had to be reconciled with another origin myth about the Ganga: that the earthly Ganga came by the grace of Siva. The version featuring Devakulya in the Bhagavata Purana emphasized her merit for worshipping Vishnu and how she was rewarded with a rebirth as the river goddess Ganga. Devakulya’s rebirth as Ganga exalted Vishnu and was noted in sectarian inter­pretations. But from universalist viewpoints both Vishnu and Siva were a part of the One, and worship given to either honored both, and the Absolute as well.

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