Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 72
मातङ्ग–शक्रसंवादः
Mataṅga–Śakra Dialogue on Tapas, Status, and Moral Qualities
महापुण्यां च गगनात् पतन्तीं वै महेश्वर: । दधार शिरसा गड्जां तामेव दिवि सेवते,भगवान् महेश्वरने आकाशसे गिरती हुई परम पवित्र गंगाजीको सिरपर धारण किया, उन्हींका वे स्वर्गमें सेवन करते हैं
mahāpuṇyāṃ ca gaganāt patantīṃ vai maheśvaraḥ | dadhāra śirasā gaṅgāṃ tāmeva divi sevate ||
ਆਕਾਸ਼ ਤੋਂ ਡਿੱਗਦੀ ਪਰਮ ਪੁੰਨਵਤੀ ਗੰਗਾ ਨੂੰ ਭਗਵਾਨ ਮਹੇਸ਼ਵਰ ਨੇ ਆਪਣੇ ਸਿਰ ਉੱਤੇ ਧਾਰਨ ਕੀਤਾ; ਅਤੇ ਸੁਰਗ ਵਿੱਚ ਵੀ ਉਹ ਉਸੇ ਗੰਗਾ ਦਾ ਸ਼ਰਧਾ ਨਾਲ ਸੇਵਨ ਤੇ ਸਤਿਕਾਰ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ।
सिद्ध उवाच
Educational Q&A
Holiness is not merely possessed but responsibly upheld: Maheśvara restrains and bears the sacred Gaṅgā, modeling how power should protect purity and channel it for the welfare of the world; reverence (sevanā) toward what is sacred is itself a dharmic act.
A Siddha describes the heavenly Gaṅgā descending from the sky and Śiva receiving her upon his head, holding her there; he continues to honor and resort to that same Gaṅgā in heaven, highlighting her sanctity and Śiva’s role as her bearer.