Jahnavi

(“daughter of Jahnu”) Epithet of the
Ganges River, which Hindus consider to
be the physical form of the goddess
Ganga. The name Jahnavi refers to an
incident during her creation in which
she encounters Jahnu, a great ascetic
who has amassed great power through
performing harsh physical asceticism
(tapas). After the Ganges has been
brought down to earth by the sage
Bhagirath, but before she makes her
way to the ocean, the playful river picks
up and carries away Jahnu’s belongings
while the sage is meditating nearby.
Jahnu is enraged at this disrespect; to
punish Ganga, he drinks all of the water
in the river. When the gods realize what
has happened, they are very concerned.
They somehow manage to placate
Jahnu, and the sage agrees to release
her. The problem then is how to release
the Ganges in a way that will not defile
her, since vomiting her up or voiding her
as urine are both unacceptable. In the
end, Jahnu bypasses this dilemma by
releasing her through his ear. She continues on her way to the sea, but
acquires the name Jahnavi by virtue of
being “born” from Jahnu.