Yamunā

Daughter of the Sun, beloved of Kṛṣṇa · Yamunotrī to Prayāgrāj

The Yamunā rises at Yamunotrī and flows through Delhi, Mathurā, Vṛndāvana and Āgrā before joining the Gaṅgā at Prayāgrāj. For devotees of Kṛṣṇa she is the river of his childhood, where he played with the cowherds and gopīs, and Vaiṣṇava tradition worships her as Yamunā Mahārāṇī.

Pilgrims bathe and offer lamps at Viśrām Ghāṭ in Mathurā and the ghats of Vṛndāvana. Yama Dvitīyā (Bhāī Dūj), when brothers visit their sisters, is especially associated with the Yamunā. Like the Gaṅgā, she needs care, and many devotee groups work to clean her.

Tradition says the serpent Kāliya poisoned a pool of the Yamunā near Vṛndāvana. The child Kṛṣṇa leapt into the water, danced on Kāliya’s many hoods until the serpent surrendered, and sent him away to the sea, making the river pure again for the people and cattle of Braja.

Uttarakhand to Uttar Pradesh · Kṛṣṇa · Yama Dvitīyā · Braja

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