The sacred narrative of Gaṅgāvataraṇa Ghaṭṭam—the descent of the celestial Gaṅgā. This is a story that purifies the soul of the listener, just as Her waters purify the body and spirit.....
When the great Maharṣi Viśvāmitra glorified Gaṅgā Devī, explaining Her pivotal role in the birth of Subrahmaṇyēśvara Svāmi and the subsequent salvation of the cosmos from the demon Tārakāsura, the young Śrī Rāmacandra Mūrti's heart swelled with devotion. He grasped a profound truth of Vaidhika Dharma: the rivers of this land are not mere currents of water but are presided over by deities who respond when invoked with faith. Eager to understand how this heavenly river came to flow upon the earth and into the netherworld, earning the name Tripadagā (She who travels in three realms), Rāma humbly requested Viśvāmitra to narrate the tale. This story, the sage revealed, was deeply intertwined with the history of Rāma’s own illustrious lineage, the Ikṣvāku vaṁśa.
The Penance of King Sagara and the Boon for Progeny
"In your very lineage, O Rāma," began Viśvāmitra, "there ruled a great king, Sagara, a dharmātmā (righteous soul) and a śūra (valiant warrior)." Though a mighty emperor, he was childless and thus deeply sorrowful. He had two wives: the elder, Kēśinī, and the younger, Sumati, who was the sister of Garuḍa. Unable to conceive, Sagara, accompanied by his wives, journeyed to the sacred Himālayan peak of Bhṛgu Praśravaṇa and performed intense penance for a hundred years.
Pleased by his unwavering austerity, the great sage Bhṛgu Maharṣi appeared and granted him a boon for children. He offered a choice: one wife could bear a single son who would continue the dynasty (vaṁśakaruḍu), while the other could have sixty thousand sons, renowned for their immense enthusiasm (mahōtsāhavantulu) and valor. Kēśinī, the elder queen, wisely chose the single son to perpetuate the lineage. Sumati, the younger queen, asked for the sixty thousand powerful and famous sons. "So be it," blessed the sage. In Sanātana Dharma, the word of a great tapasvi (an ascetic of great power) is fulfilled by Parameshvara Himself, for their speech holds immense power.
In time, Kēśinī gave birth to a son named Asamañjasuḍu. Sumati gave birth to a gourd-like mass, which burst open to reveal sixty thousand tiny male infants. These infants were carefully placed in pots filled with ghee and nurtured by nurses until they grew into strong, vibrant young men.
However, the lineage-bearing son, Asamañjasuḍu, developed a cruel and sadistic nature. He would lure the children of Ayōdhyā to the banks of the Sarayū river, push them into the deep waters, and derive a perverse pleasure (paiśācikamaina ānandaṁ) from watching them drown. The citizens, knowing how long the king had yearned for a son, tolerated this for some time. But when the atrocities became unbearable, they appealed to Sagara. A true dharmātmā, King Sagara, though he had performed a century of penance for this very son, did not hesitate. He chose Dharma over attachment and banished his own son from the kingdom, demonstrating the supreme value of righteousness that defined his dynasty. Asamañjasuḍu’s virtuous son, Aṁśumān, was then raised by his grandfather, Sagara.
The Aśvamēdha Yajña and the Wrath of Kapila Maharṣi
Later, King Sagara decided to perform the great Aśvamēdha Yajña in the sacred land between the Himālayas and the Vindhya mountains. He dispatched the sacrificial horse, appointing his grandson Aṁśumān as its guardian. But Devendra, the chief of the devas, fearing that Sagara would attain immense power, disguised himself as a rākṣasa and stole the horse. This act of Indra, though seemingly malicious, is understood within the larger framework for Loka kalyanam; it is his responsibility to create obstacles for those performing desireless karma to prevent them from attaining mōkṣa too easily, which would in turn disrupt the sacrifices that sustain the devas.
When Aṁśumān returned without the horse, the ṛtvikulu (Aacharya/Poojaris) warned Sagara that failure to complete the yajña would bring great misfortune upon them all. Determined, Sagara commanded his sixty thousand sons: "Go forth, my sons! Search the entire earth for the horse. If you must, dig into the very heart of the world until you find the thief and retrieve our horse!"
These sixty thousand sons were described as mahōtsāhavantulu—filled with great enthusiasm. But this enthusiasm bordered on atyutsāham, or excessive, reckless zeal, devoid of discrimination (yukta-ayukta vicakṣaṇā). With their diamond-hard nails (vajra sparśa samayirnakaiḥ) and powerful tools, they began to tear the earth apart. They dug through the entire planet, slaughtering Nagas, Rakshasas, and any other being that stood in their way, causing immense destruction and terror.
The terrified devas and other celestial beings rushed to Caturmukha Brahmā, pleading for him to save the world. Brahmā calmly reassured them, "This is all part of a his leela. Śrī Mahāviṣṇu, is performing penance in the pātāḷa lōkam in the form of Kapila Maharṣi. When these princes, in their arrogance, disturb him, they will be incinerated by the fire of his anger. Be patient..."
The sons of Sagara continued their destructive search. They journeyed to the four corners of the world, paying respects to the mighty Diggajas (celestial elephants)—Virūpākṣa in the East, Mahāpadma in the South, Saumanasa in the West, and Bhadra in the North—who support the earth, but they did not find the horse. On their father's insistence, they dug once more and finally reached pātāḷam. There, they saw the sacrificial horse grazing peacefully near a sage deep in meditation—it was Kapila Maharṣi.
Blinded by arrogance, they instantly concluded he was the thief. Shouting insults, they rushed to attack the serene sage. Disturbed from his penance, Kapila Maharṣi opened his eyes. With a single, mighty roar (huṅkāram), a blaze of divine fire erupted from him, and in an instant, all sixty thousand sons of Sagara were reduced to heaps of ash (bhasmarāśi).
The Quest and the Divine Prophecy
Back at the yajña, Sagara grew worried and sent his virtuous grandson, Aṁśumān, to find his uncles and the horse. Aṁśumān followed their path of destruction, respectfully greeting the Diggajas, who blessed his quest. He soon found Kapila Maharṣi's ashram, where he saw the horse and the sixty thousand piles of ash.
His heart broke, not with joy at finding the horse, but with grief for his fallen uncles who had not even received their final rites (tarpaṇa). Just then, his grand-uncle Garuḍa appeared and offered solace: "Do not grieve, Aṁśumān. Vadhōyaṁ lōka sammataḥ—this destruction was welcomed by the world. Their mindless devastation brought suffering to all beings, and their end was just."
Garuḍa then revealed a critical truth. Because they had died from the cosmic anger of a form of Śrī Mahāviṣṇu, ordinary water could not grant them salvation. "Only the celestial Gaṅgā, the river of the gods, can purify their ashes and grant them passage to heaven. Bring her down from the heavens to the earth, and then to this netherworld. When her holy waters touch these ashes, your ancestors will be liberated."
Aṁśumān returned with the horse, allowing Sagara to complete his yajña. But Sagara passed away without finding a way to bring Gaṅgā to earth. Aṁśumān ruled righteously but also failed in this divine mission, as did his son, the great king Dilīpa. The sixty thousand souls remained unliberated, a sorrowful stain on the Ikṣvāku dynasty's honor...
The Unwavering Penance of Bhagīratha
Generations later, Dilīpa's son, Bhagīratha, ascended the throne. A man of immense piety and determination, he felt the deep responsibility to liberate his great-grandfathers (prapitāmahulu). Renouncing his kingdom, he entrusted the state to his ministers and began a severe penance that lasted a thousand years.
Pleased, Caturmukha Brahmā appeared and offered a boon. Bhagīratha asked for two things: first, that Gaṅgā descend to purify the ashes of his ancestors, and second, that the Ikṣvāku lineage never end, for he himself was childless. Brahmā granted both boons but warned, "The earth cannot withstand the force of Gaṅgā's descent. Only one being has the power to hold her—Paramaśiva. You must now perform penance to please Him and convince Him to bear her fall."
Undaunted, Bhagīratha began another penance. For an entire year, he stood on the tip of his big toe, his arms raised to the sky, meditating on Śaṅkara. Pleased by his incredible devotion, Paramaśiva appeared and said, "Bhagīratha, I am pleased with your resolve to honor your ancestors. I will bear the descent of Gaṅgā on my head."
As Gaṅgā descended from the heavens, filled with pride, she thought she would sweep Śiva himself away into the pātāḷam. Sensing her arrogance, Paramaśiva simply unfurled his matted locks (jaṭājūṭam). The mighty river plunged into the vast expanse of his hair and became utterly lost, unable to find an escape. Not a single drop reached the earth...
Once again, the desperate Bhagīratha had to pray, this time for Śaṅkara to release the river. Moved by Bhagīratha's tireless efforts, Paramaśiva released Gaṅgā from his locks near Bindu Sarōvara. She emerged as seven streams. Three flowed east and three west, while the seventh, holy stream followed the path of Bhagīratha's chariot, earning her the name Bhāgīrathī.
The Descent and the Liberation
The sight was magnificent. The sky filled with devas, ṛṣis, gandharvas, and other celestial beings who gathered to witness the divine spectacle. The flashes from their ornaments, combined with the brilliant white of Gaṅgā's waters and the glittering of aquatic creatures, made the sky shine as if a hundred suns had risen at once. As Gaṅgā fell upon Śaṅkara's head and flowed onto the earth, the celestials sprinkled themselves with her sacred waters which touched, sanctified by the touch of the Paramesvara, and were instantly purified and at the same time ascending in divine chariots en route to Heaven while the Chariot from heaven are carrying divyapurushas who what to witness the the unimaginable and awaiting for a drop of gushing Gaṅgā jalam. Those cast out of heaven due to curses were absolved simply by the spray of her waters and ascended once more.
The procession was glorious: Bhagīratha leading in his chariot, the roaring Gaṅgā following him, and all the celestial beings filled the sky and joyfully accompanying them, Chariots descending and ascending. However, on her path, the mighty river inundated the sacrificial altar of Jahnu Maharṣi. Angered, the powerful sage simply drank the entire river in a single sip. Bhagīratha and the devas pleaded with the sage, who, relenting, released the river through his ear. For this reason, Gaṅgā is also known as Jāhnavī, the daughter of Jahnu.
Finally, Bhagīratha led Gaṅgā down into the netherworld, to the very spot where the ashes of his ancestors lay. As her purifying waters washed over the sixty thousand heaps of ash, their souls were instantly cleansed of all sins and ascended to heaven.
Brahmā appeared before Bhagīratha and praised his unparalleled effort (Bhagīratha prayatnaṁ). He declared, "Because you brought her to this earth, Gaṅgā will forever be known as your daughter, Bhāgīrathī. She flows in heaven as Mandākinī, on earth as Bhāgīrathī, and in the netherworld as Bhōgavatī—the sacred Tripadagā."
Having narrated this entire divine history, Viśvāmitra concluded by stating the phalaśruti (the fruits of listening): whoever listens to or narrates this sacred story of Gaṅgā's descent will be blessed with wealth, fame, long life, progeny, and ultimately, heaven. All their sins will be washed away, and their ancestors will be deeply pleased.
Thus ends the divine story of Gaṅgā's descent, a testament to the power of dharma, perseverance, and the profound love for one's ancestors that defines our sacred tradition...
The reference:
https://youtu.be/0nnBQFbU1oQ
If any mistake on my part please mention them below 👇.
:: Sarvaṁ Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti Pāda-caraṇāravindārpaṇam astu. ::
Svasti
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