"I saw with my own eyes the Sibyl of Cumae hanging in a jar, and when the boys said, Sibyl, what do you want? she replied, I want to die."
This line is not a direct reference to the Ganges River. However, it does allude to the myth of the Sibyl of Cumae, a prophetess who was granted a long life by Apollo but never granted eternal youth. As she aged, she was imprisoned in a jar and eventually reduced to a mere voice.
The Ganges River itself does not appear in "The Waste Land." However, its absence is significant. The poem's setting is a barren, lifeless landscape, devoid of any natural beauty or spiritual significance. This lack of a vital, flowing river like the Ganges, a symbol of life and renewal in many cultures, underscores the wasteland's emptiness and the spiritual decay of modern civilization.
Therefore, while the line you quoted doesn't directly mention the Ganges, the poem's overall imagery and the absence of such vital natural forces like rivers create a sense of despair and emptiness that can be connected to the Ganges' symbolic significance.
It's important to note that "The Waste Land" is open to interpretation, and scholars have offered many different readings of the poem. Some may argue that the lack of direct mention of the Ganges simply reflects Eliot's focus on European mythology and culture. Nevertheless, the poem's overall theme of spiritual decay and the absence of life-giving forces can be seen as a reflection of the loss of traditional values and the breakdown of society.