There is a common belief among Hindus that those who bathe in the holy river Ganges during Ardhodaya Yoga (an auspicious day that comes once every fifty years) become free from impurities and ignorance, and go to heaven. Three or four days before that auspicious occasion Nag Mahashay left Calcutta, which is on the bank of the Ganges, to return to his village. His father was furious and said to him: “People are selling everything they own to go and bathe in the Ganges on this holy occasion, and you have come back home, leaving the Ganges! I really don’t understand your attitude towards religious life! Still a few days are left. Take me to Calcutta.” But Nag Mahashay humbly said: “If a man has true devotion, Mother Ganges reveals Herself in his house. It is needless for him to go anywhere.”
On the day of Ardhodaya Yoga, several of Nag Mahashay’s devotees came to visit him. Suddenly one of the women noticed a stream of water gushing out at the southeast corner of the courtyard. The devotees gathered around it in amazement and watched as it formed a flowing stream. Nag Mahashay was in his room when he heard the excitement. He came out and, seeing the stream, bowed down to it reverently. Then, sprinkling a little water on his head, he prayed: “Victory to Mother Ganges! Mother, purify us.”
Word of the mysterious stream spread throughout the village, and on that auspicious day devotees and villagers alike were blessed by bathing in it. Hearing of this episode sometime later, Swami Vivekananda commented: “The wish of a great soul like Nag Mahashay can make the impossible possible. Their infallible willpower can even liberate people.” (Source: They Lived with God)