GANGA DESCENDS TO EARTH

ONCE, THE KINGDOM OF AYODHYA WAS RULED BY KING SAGARA. HE WAS WISE AND BRAVE AND HAD SLAIN  SEVERAL DEMONS ON EARTH. ONE DAY, SAGARA DECIDED TO PERFORM ASHWAMEDHA YAGNA, A SACRIFICE OFFERED TO PROCLAIM SUPREMACY OVER OTHER KINGS.

AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE YAGNA WAS TO DECORATE A HORSE AND SET IT FREE. ANYONE WHO CAUGHT THE HORSE WAS REQUIRED TO FIGHT WITH THE KING’S ARMY. IF DEFEATED, HE HAD TO ACCEPT THE KING’S SUPREMACY. SO, SAGARA SET A HORSE FREE.

UP IN THE HEAVENS WHEN LORD INDRA CAME TO KNOW ABOUT SAGARA’S YAGNA, HE FELT THREATENED. “WHAT IF SAGARA BECOMES MORE POWERFUL THEN ME?” HE THOUGHT. SO INDRA STOLE AWAY THE HORSE OF THE YAGNA AND HID IT IN THE HERMITAGE OF SAGE KAPILA.

SAGARA SENT HIS 60,000 SONS ALL OVER THE EARTH TO SEARCH FOR THE HORSE. THEY SOON FOUND  OUT THE HORSE AND ATTACKED SAGE KAPILA’S HERMITAGE. THE SAGE, MEDITATING AT THAT TIME, BECAME FURIOUS AND BURNT DOWN THE PRINCES TO DEATH.

NOW THEIR WENDERING SOULS COULD BE LIBERATED ONLY BY THE TOUCH OF THE HOLY RIVER GANGA FLOWING IN THE HEAVENS. SAGARA’S DESCENDANTS TRIED HARD TO BRING GANGA TO EARTH, BUT IN VAIN.MANY YEARS LATER CAME BHAGIRATHA, SAGARA’S SEVENTH GENERATION.

BHAGIRATHA DID SEVERE PENANCE AND FINALLY APPEASED LORD BRAHMA. “ASK WHAT YOU MAY!” BRAHMA SAID. “ PLEASE ALLOW MOTHER GANGA TO DESCEND TO EARTH, O LORD!” SAID BHAGIRATHA. “ SO BE IT!” SAID BRAHMA. “BUT YOU MUST SEEK LORD SHIVA’S HELP FOR THIS.”

BHAGIRATHA ARDENTLY PRAYED TO LORD SHIVA FOR MANY YEARS. PLEASED WITH HIS DEVOTION AND DETERMINATION, SHIVA APPEARED BEFORE HIM. SEEING BHAGIRATHA’S FEELINGS FOR HIS ANCESTORS, SHIVA PROMISED TO HELP HIM IN BRINGING DOWN GANGA TO THE EARTH.

AFTER GETTING THE ASSURANCE FROM SHIVA, BRAHMA REQUESTED GANGA TO DESCEND TO EARTH. “ THE MANKIND NEEDS YOU, GANGA!” SAID BRAHMA. BUT THE ARROGANT GANGA TOOK IT AS AN INSULT AND THREATENED TP SWEEP AWAY WHATEVER WOULD COME IN HER WAY.

WHENGANGA JUMPED DOWN, HER CURRENT WAS WILD. SHIVA CAUGHT HER IN HIS MATTED LOCKS AND CONTROLLED HER DEVASTATING CURRENT. HE THEN GENTLY RELEASED HER INTO THE HIMALAYAS. THUS A HUMBLED GANGA DESCENDED TO EARTH.
REACHING THE PLAINS, GANGA CLMED DOWN AND BEGAN TO FLOW IN SMALL STREAMS. BHAGIRATHA FINALLY SUCCEEEDED IN HIS DIVINE MISSION. SINCE IT WAS BHAGIRATHA WHO BROUGHT GANGA TO EARTH, THE HOLY RIVER IS ALSO KNOWN AS BHAGIRATHI.

AS GANGA TOUCHED THE ASHES OF SAGARA’S SONS, THEIR WANDERING SOULS WERE LIBERATED. THEY ROSE TO HEAVEN, SHOWERING THEIR BLESSINGS ON BHAGIRATHA. “THANK YOU, O MOTHER GANGA!” SAID BHAGIRATHA. SINCE THEN GANGA HAS BEEN SANCTIFYING MANKIND.