5e. Bhāgīratha brought down Gaṅgā on earth

There is a story of Bhāgīratha’s bringing down Gaṅgā on earth. It is stated that King Sagara of the solar dynasty had two wives called Sumati (Vaidarbhī) and Keśinī (Śaibyā). A son called Asamañjasa was born to Keśinī, and sixty thousand princes were born to Sumati. Sagara drove out of the country Asamañjasa, who turned out to be an enemy of the people. The sixty thousand sons of Sagara also proved to be a menance to the world, and the Devas approached Brahmā for protection from the menance. He assured the Devas that a sage called Kapila would destroy the sixty thousand evil fellows.^[1]

During the above period of time, Sagara performed an Aśvamedha Yajña, and his sons went round the earth with the sacrificial horse. But when they reached the sea-shore, the horse disappeared. When the sons complained about it to their father, Sagara, he asked them to look out for the horse in every part of the world and bring it back. They did not find it anywhere on earth. Then they dug a hole and entered Pātāla where they saw Sage Kapila absorbed in meditation and the missing horse tied to a pole near the sage. It was Indra who had carried away the horse and tied it there. The sons of Sagara believed that Kapila had stolen the horse. They were about to attack the sage. Kapila opened his eyes and they were reduced to ashes in the fire of Kapila’s eyes.^[2]

The sons of Sagara did not return even after a long time Sagara asked his grandson, Aṃśumān, to seek them out. After an extensive search, he saw Kapila at Pātāla. Aṃśumān pleased Kapila with laudatory phrases and the latter returned to him the sacrificial horse. Kapila also pronounced the blessing that the grandson of Aṃśumān would perform the purificatory rites of Sagara’s sons by bringing down Gaṅgā to earth from heaven.^[3] Aṃśumān returned to the palace with the horse and the Aśvamedha was duly concluded.^[4]

At the same time, a son was born to Aṃśumān who became well known as Dilīpa on the earth. The king Aṃśumān had perfectly enjoyed the worldly pleasures, crowned Dilīpa as the ruler of the kingdom and went to the forest with the decision in his mind to perform penance.^[5] After that Bhāgīratha, the son of Dilīpa, became very famous throughout the world. After celebrating Bhāgīratha’s coronation in the realm, King Dilīpa too went to the forest. He rejoiced enjoying different kinds of worldly pleasures like the lord of Devas in heaven. But when he heard that all his ancestors were struck down by the curse of a Brāhmaṇa, he became extremely sad and dejected.^[6] King Dilīpa became frustrated and extremely disinterested in the kingdom, his kinsmen and the enjoyments of all worldly pleasures. He entrusted the kingdom to the care of his excellent minister. The king was desirous of taking his ancestors to heaven and so he went to the forest for performing penance. At the outset, he propitiated the lotus-born lord Brahmā by means of great penance for securing longevity. From him he got as long a life as he desired.^[7] He did tapas for thousand years on the slopes of the Himalayas when Gaṅgā asked him to please Śiva first as he alone could face Gaṅgā fall on the earth. Accordingly, he pleased Śiva by his penance and Śiva agreed to receive Gaṅgā on his head. With a terrific noise Gaṅgā came down on Śiva’s head. The haughty Gaṅgā also wanted to carry down Śiva to Pātāla. Śiva realized this ambition of Gaṅgā and blocked her passage. As a result, Gaṅgā wandered about in Śiva’s matted hair for many years without finding an outlet. Bhāgīratha again did tapas and pleased Śiva who shook his matted head and made fall some water there from on earth.^[8] The water fell into Bindusāras, and flowed in seven tributaries. The first three, Hlādini, Pāvanī and Nalinī towards the east, the next three, Sucakṣus, Sitā and Sindhu towards the west and the seventh tributary followed Bhāgīratha. Hence, it is known as the Bhāgīrathī.^[9] In this manner, they progressed a great distance till they reached the āśrama of the sage Jāhnu, and the haughty Gaṅgā flooded the āśrama. The sage got enraged at this and drank up Gaṅgā. But Bhāgīratha pleased the sage who then let out Gaṅgā through his ears. Thenceforth, Gaṅgā came to be called Jāhnavī also.^[10] Gaṅgā again followed Bhāgīratha to Pātāla and made the sons of Sagara attain salvation by purifying them with her waters. They went to the heaven from hell.^[11]

After the purificatory rites of the sons of Sagara, the great river went to the Eastern Ocean by the same path. The celestial river had flowed towards the four quarters from the top of Meru after being split into four channels.^[12] Gaṅgā received four names due to these four different channels, viz. Sītā, Alakānandā, Sucakṣus and Bhadrāvatī.^[13] In the present time, regarding the status of these rivers, S.M. Ali identifies the rivers in the following order—Sītā as-Yarkand-Tarim-Hwang-Ho, Alakānandā as Gaṅgā, Su-Cakṣus as the Oxus, Bhadrāvatī or Bhadrasomā as Syrdaria.^[14] Though their waters had been dried up when Agastya drank up the waters, the four oceans became full with the waters of Gaṅgā. When the ocean extended by the sons of Sagara became filled up, many countries lying nearby became submerged.^[15] The Gaṅgā is said to be the holiest of holy Indian rivers.^[16]

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

yathopajoṣaṃ vāsāṃsi paridhāyāhatānite | kuśeṣu prāviśansarve prāgagresvabhibhūsitāḥ || Bhāgavata Purāṇa.,8.9.15; 9.8.9,15

[2]:

aṃśumāṃścadito rājñā turaṅgānveṣaṇe yayau | pitṛvyakhātānupathaṃ bhasmānti dadṛśe hayam || Ibid., 9.8.20-21

[3]:

aśvo’yaṃ nīyatāṃ vatsa pitāmahapaśustava | ime ca pitaro dagdhā gaṅgāṃbho’rhanti netarat || Ibid., 9.8.29

[4]:

tvaṃ parikramya śirasā prasādya hayamānayat | Ibid., 9.8.30 sagarastena paśunā kratuśeṣaṃ samāpayat ||

[5]:

Brṇ.P., 2.3.56.30

[6]:

Ibid., 2.3.56.32-35

[7]:

Ibid., 2.3.56.36-38

[8]:

Ibid., 2.3.56.40-45

[9]:

tato visarjyamānāyāḥ srotastatsaptatāṃ gatam | trayaḥ prācimabhimukhaṃ pratīcīṃ traya eva tu || tasmādbhāgīrathī yā sā praviṣṭā lavaṇodadhim | saptaitā bhāvayantīḥ himāhvaṃ varṣameva tu || Vāyu Purāṇa,47.37-40

[10]:

Brṇ.P., 2.3.56.46-48

[11]:

Ibid., 2.3.56.48-51also Vāyu Purāṇa,ch., 47; Nāradīya Purāṇa, ch., 16; Br.V.P,(preta-khaṇḍa) ch.,10

[12]:

Brṇ.P., 2.3.56.51

[13]:

Ibid., 2.3.56.52

[14]:

Vide, Ali, S.M., Geography of the Purāṇas, p.201

[15]:

Brṇ.P., 2.3.56.53-54

[16]:

saṃciaṃataye bhagavataścaraṇodatīrthaṃ | bhaktyā hyajena pariṣiktamajādivaṃdyam || yacchaucaniḥsṛtamajapravarāvatāraṃ gaṅgākhyatīrthamabhavatsaritāṃ variṣṭham || Garuḍa Purāṇa,7.147 (Brahma Khāṇḍa)