Story of Yamunā

Another name for the river Kālindī. (See also under Kālindī).

How the water in Kālindī turned Black:

-The water in the river Kālindi is black in colour. There is a story behind the changing of the colour of this river-water into black. Originally it was clear.

After the death of Satī, Dakṣa’s daughter, Śiva broke up Dakṣa yāga and went about rambling round the world. Kāmadeva who saw Śiva who had lost his wife (Satī) shot him with "Unmādāstra" (an arrow causing madness and excitement). Śiva, in his excitement, always thinking about Satī, wandered about, finding peace and rest nowhere. In his excited and restless state he plunged himself into Kālindī river. Just then, the clear water of the river turned black. (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 6).

The greatness of Kālindī (Yamunā).

The Purāṇas declare that by bathing in the holy Kālindī one attains heaven. There is a stroy illustrating this in Padma Purāṇa, Chapter 30, as follows:—

Long ago, in Kṛtayuga, there lived in the country of Niṣadha, a very wealthy Vaiśya, by name Hemakuṇḍala. By doing various kinds of business, he had earned eight crores of golden coins. By that time he was advancing in age. At this stage he began to think of the transitoriness of worldly pleasures and set apart one-sixth of his entire wealth for charitable purposes. He built two temples—one for Viṣṇu and the other for Śiva. He offered daily worship to the gods and spent money in generous hospitality. His two sons, Śrīkuṇḍala and Vikuṇḍala were growing up. He entrusted the burden of domestic affairs to them and went to the forest to perform austere tapas, after which he attained Viṣṇuloka.

His sons, who were intoxicated with their affluent and luxurious life, deviated from the path of virtue and began to indulge in all kinds of sensual pleasures. It did not take long for them to be reduced to utter poverty. Their relatives and dependants left them to their fate and at last, they began to resort to stealing. For fear of the King, the public and the law, they changed their residence to the woods. One of them went to a mountain and the other to a forest. One day, the elder brother was caught by a tiger and the younger was bit by a snake. Both of them died on the same day. Yama’s agents took both to Yamaloka. Dharmarāja (Yama) ordered the elder brother to be sent to Naraka (Hell) and the younger one (Vikuṇḍala) to be sent to Heaven.

Vikuṇḍala who knew that he did not deserve Heaven by any standards, asked Yama’s agent how this had happened. The agent gave him this answer:—"There was a Brāhmaṇa well-versed in Vedic lore, who was the son of Harimitra. His āśrama was on the southern bank of Yamunā. While you were living in the forest, you were associated with him. As a result of that contact, it so happened that you bathed for two months in the holy river Kālindī, the waters of which have the power of absolving sinners. By your bath in the first month you were liberated from all sins. By the second you have become eligible for Heaven. You have qualified yourself for the eternal bliss of Heaven, by that holy act."

Yamunā is being worshipped as a goddess. Devotees of this goddess imagine her as riding on a tortoise, carrying a water pot in her hand and is of black complexion. (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 50).