BHAGIRATHA BECAME THE FATHER OF GREAT GANGA

Bhagiratha Purifies his Ancestor's souls with Ganga

This one is one of my favoured stories concerning Bhagiratha bringing down the Ganga to the earth which we all are aware of. My father named me 'Alakananda' after journeying the Alaknanda River; part of the Great Ganga in Uttarakhand. later I got to know about it from him and was once curious to be aware of how Ganga, in reality, got here to the earth. I will give an explanation here in my post in element the birth of his ancestors from Lord Shiva's boon, their death, and the salvation of their souls.

From my preceding post, we all understand that sage Agastya in order to help the deities to locate the hidden demons beneath the sea and to kill them drank the whole ocean water and could not release it. He had digested the entire water inside his stomach already. Deities were concerned about the dry ocean. There was once a king named Sagara in the Ikshavaku dynasty. He had two arrogant beautiful wives however had no sons. Sagara along with his two wives did a meditation on the Kailash to please Lord Shiva. Lord regarded and granted the two other halves boons. He blessed one of the proud better halves that she would give birth to sixty thousand brave sons but they would all die at once. He told the other wife would give solely one mighty son. Then he disappeared.

As per Lord Shiva, the Sagar king had sons from both of his wives. His second son used to be in Tumbi form so the king had decided to abandon him. However, Voices from the Sky warned him no longer to abandon his second son as it would spoil the other sixty thousand sons too. So the king took care of all his sons. The sixty thousand sons from the first spouse were very mean and terrifying. They harm many humans and never obeyed anyone. All those human beings went to Lord Brahma for help. Lord Brahma consoled the people that Sagara's sixty-thousand son's death was near. King's second wife's son's name was Asamanja or Aasamanja. He was so impolite he used to bully the weak boys and throw them in the river. To keep peace with his human beings the king ordered Asamanja to depart his kingdom.

One day King Sagara carried out Aswamedha Yajna; the horse-sacrifice ritual. His horse was roaming around the dry ocean and got vanished from there. He asked all his sons to locate the horse. They searched everywhere but couldn't find it. Then they began digging in the dry ocean but additionally didn't notice the horse there. Then they entered the underworld and saw the horse roaming around the outstanding Sage Kapila's hermitage. Enraged the sixty thousand sons humiliated the sage and ran after the horse to fetch it. The sage got angry and burnt all of them into ashes. Narada Ji advised Sagara about his dead sons. The king was upset. 

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He called his grandson Amshuman or Anshuman and instructed him, " I regret leaving your father Asamanja, which made my other sons die too. Also, my Aswamedha yajna didn't get completed as they in no way located the horse." The king requested Amshuman to assist him.  Anshuman went to Kapila's hermitage and noticed the horse there. He worshipped him and explained everything. The sage used to be delighted by his forgiving and beneficent conduct and blessed him with two boons. As per one, his ancestors whom the sage had burnt would reach heaven. As per the second boon, his grandson Bhagiratha would bring Ganga to the earth from heaven to pacify their souls. As per the sage's permission, he took the horse from there, achieved the Aswamedha yajna, and gratified King Sagara. Amshuman had a son named Dilipa. After his father's death, he tried to bring Ganga to the earth but failed to do so. After Dilipa's death, his son Bhagiratha grew to be the king.

Bhagiratha was a non-secular mighty and skilful king.

He was generous towards all his people. When he heard about his ancestors, he heartily left the kingdom in the hands of his minister and went to the Himalayas for meditation to please Ganga. After one thousand years, she appeared there and asked for his wish. Bhagiratha elaborated to her about his ancestor's dying near sage Kapila's hermitage and requested her to purify their souls of them by flowing down there. Ganga was pleased to hear this she desired to help him. But she stated that it would be difficult to control her pace if she fell on the earth solely. She advised him to worship Lord Shiva who could only manage to cease her speed.

Bhagiratha observed her instructions and prayed to Lord Shiva. Shiva agreed and reached the Himalayas. When Ganga fell from heaven Lord Shiva captured her in his dreadlocks and released parts of Ganga there. Ganga flowed down from there in three parts and she washed away the ashes of Bhagiratha's ancestors. Ocean was additionally filled with the water of the Ganga. Then She was regarded as the daughter of Bhagiratha.

In this way, Bhagiratha was once able to fill the ocean and additionally purify the souls of his lifeless ancestors.

Ref: Mahabharata book

Read about why the ocean became dry here..