Chapter 43 - Lord Shiva lets loose the sacred river

[Full title: Lord Shiva lets loose the sacred river which follows King Bhagiratha’s celestial chariot].

Shri Brahma having departed, the King Bhagiratha, standing on the tip of one toe, adored Shri Shiva for a full year. O Mighty One, with arms uplifted, living on air, unsupported, fixed like a pillar, day and night King Bhagiratha offered his adorations to the Lord.

A full year having passed, the Lord of Uma, Shri Mahadeva, who is adored by the whole world, spoke to King Bhagiratha as follows: “O Great One, I am pleased with you, I will accomplish what you desirest, I will receive the descent of Ganga on my head.”

Then the holy Ganga, the eldest daughter of Himalaya, the object of reverence to the whole world, assuming the form of a mighty river, descended with torrential force on to the head of Shiva. The goddess reflected within herself that she would bear down the Lord Mahadeva to the antipodes. Shri Shiva, reading her thoughts, grew angry and determined to detain the mighty stream in his hair. Resembling the majestic Himalayas, the locks of Shri Shiva held the falling Ganga fast and the sacred river remained imprisoned there. For innumerable years the Ganga wandered round and round in the locks of Shri Mahadeva and could not find an egress.

O Rama, when Shri Bhagiratha did not see the holy stream descending to earth, he again began his penance in order to propitiate the Lord of the world.

Then Shri Shiva let loose the Ganga in the Brindusara lake and as it fell it divided itself into seven streams. The three branches conferring prosperity, Hladini, Pavani and Nalini, flowed towards the east from the head of holy Shiva.

Then the sacred Ganga of pure and delightful water was divided into three further branches, Sucakshu, Sita and Sindhav, all flowing towards the west. The seventh of these streams followed the chariot of the Maharajah Bhagiratha.

The royal sage, riding in a beautiful chariot, went forward and the sacred river Ganga followed him.

Thus did the holy river descend from heaven on to the forehead of Shri Mahadeva and from thence came to the surface of the earth.

The fall of the sacred stream created a mighty reverberation, her waters flowing through beautiful ways. Riding their aerial chariots as large as cities, containing elephants and horses, the gods, sages, celestial musicians, yakshas and siddhas in great numbers, came to witness the holy Ganges falling from heaven to earth. In their aerial chariots named Pariplava, the gods came to see this wonderful event of the holy river flowing on the earth, and as they descended from the skies, the splendour of their celestial ornaments irradiated the cloudless canopy of heaven as if a thousand suns had risen there.

The mercurial fishes and aquatic creatures leaping from the stream thrown up by the force of the current, shone like lightning in the sky, whilst the foam and spray scattered on all sides resembled flocks of swans in flight or clouds in winter.

The waters of the holy Ganga sometimes rose high in the air, sometimes flowed tortuously, sometimes broadened out, sometimes dashed against the rocks and sometimes spouted upwards afterwards falling to the ground; that pure water capable of removing sin looked delightful flowing on the surface of the earth.

Then the celestial sages and heavenly musicians and the denizens of the earth, reverently touched that sacred stream falling from the locks of Shiva.

Those beings, who through a curse, had fallen from the heavenly regions and been made to dwell on earth, were cleansed of their transgressions by bathing in the holy Ganga. Purified and freed from their sins, those resplendent beings returned to the heavenly regions, passing through the sky.

Wherever the sacred Ganges flowed, people were cleansed of their sins by bathing in its waters.

King Bhagiratha, riding a celestial chariot, drove on and Shri Ganga followed after him.

O Rama, the gods, the sages, rakshasas, asuras, yakshas, the chief serpents and nymphs following King Bhagiratha, together with the aquatic beings and swans, attended the sacred river. Whichever course King Bhagiratha took, that mighty river Ganga, the Destroyer of all sin, followed. Flowing on and on, Shri Ganga arrived where the Sage Jahnu, worker of miracles, was performing a sacrifice. Then the sacred river swept over the sacrificial pavilion and all it contained. The Rishi Jahnu perceiving the pride of Gangaji, grew angry and drank up the whole of the water of that river, verily a great miracle!

The devas, gandharvas and sages were astonished and began to worship that Mahatma Jahnu, saying, “From to-day the holy river shall be called your daughter The mighty Jahnu being pleased, let loose the river through his ears. From thence Shri Ganga is called Jahnavi (the daughter of Jahnu). Thereafter she once again flowed behind the chariot of King Bhagiratha. Finally, the holy Ganga reached the sea and entered the lower regions to fulfil the purpose of the king.

The royal Sage Bhagiratha attended by the sacred river, gazed with grief on the ashes of his ancestors. O Prince of the House of Raghu, as soon as the holy stream touched the ashes, the sons of King Sagara were resuscitated, freed from sin, and attained the celestial region.