Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 6
Viṣṇupadī Gaṅgā: Descent, Cosmic Pathways, and Śiva’s Praise of Saṅkarṣaṇa
सीता तु ब्रह्मसदनात्केसराचलादिगिरिशिखरेभ्योऽधोऽध: प्रस्रवन्ती गन्धमादनमूर्धसु पतित्वान्तरेण भद्राश्ववर्षं प्राच्यां दिशि क्षारसमुद्रमभिप्रविशति ॥ ६ ॥
sītā tu brahma-sadanāt kesarācalādi-giri-śikharebhyo ’dho ’dhaḥ prasravantī gandhamādana-mūrdhasu patitvāntareṇa bhadrāśva-varṣaṁ prācyāṁ diśi kṣāra-samudram abhipraviśati.
The branch of the Gaṅgā known as Sītā issues from Brahmā’s abode and flows ever downward from the peaks of Kesarācala and neighboring mountains; from those heights, like filaments encircling Meru, it falls upon the summit of Gandhamādana. Then, watering Bhadrāśva-varṣa along its course, it enters the salt ocean (Kṣāra-samudra) to the east.
FAQs
It describes the river Sītā as descending from Brahmā’s abode, flowing down from great mountain peaks, touching Gandhamādana Mountain, passing through Bhadrāśva-varṣa, and finally entering the Salt Ocean in the east.
Because the Bhagavatam is presenting sacred geography in a cosmic framework—this river’s origin is traced to Brahmā’s abode to indicate its divine, celestial source within the Purāṇic cosmology.
It encourages a devotee to see the world as sacred and ordered by the Lord—cultivating reverence for tīrthas (holy places), gratitude for nature, and remembrance of the divine reality behind creation.