Chapter XLI: Section XLII

When Sagara had bowed unto the influence of Time, the subjects selected the righteous Ancumat for their king. And, O descendant of Raghu, Ancumat proved a great ruler. And his sbn, the celebrated Dilipa, was also a great king. And, O Raghu's son, consigning unto Dilipa his kingdom, Ancumat entered upon rigid austerities on the romantic summit of the Himavat. And having for the space of thirty-two hundreds of thousands years carried on austeries in the woods, that highly famous one, crowned with the wealth of aceticism, attained the celestial regions. And the exceedingly powerful Dilipa, hearing of the destruction of his grand-fathers, was stricken with grief; yet he could not ascertain his course about it. And he constantly thought as to how Ganga could be brought down, how to perform their watery rites, and how to deliver them. And as that pious one furnished with self- knowledge was always meditating upon this, an eminently virtuous son was born unto him named Bhagiratha. And performing numerous sacrifices, the mighty king Dilipa reigned for thirty thousand years. And without having arrived at any definite decision in regard to their deliverance, the king, O puissant one, being attacked with an ailment, breathed his last. And having sprinkled his son Bhagiratha in the way of installing him in the kingdom, that prime of men, the king, by virtue of his own acts, repaired to the region of Indra. And, O descendant of Raghu, that royal saint Bhagiratha was possessed of righteousness, And being without issue, and desiring to obtain it, the mighty monarch consigned his kingdom and his subjects to the care of his counsellors, and engaged in bringing down Ganga. And, O Raghu's descendant, restraining his senses, and eating once a month, and surrounding himself with five fires, and with arms upraised, he for a long lapse of time performed austerities at Gokarna. And as he was performing his terrible austerities, a thousand years rolled away. And thereat that possessor of the six attributes and lord of all creatures, Brahma, was well-pleased with that high-souled monarch. And presenting himself together with the celestials, the Grand-sire thus spoke unto the high-souled Bhagiratha engaged in austerities,--'0 Bhagiratha, O mighty monarch, pleased am I with thee, O lord of men, on account of thy ardent austerities; do thou, O thou of excellent vows, ask for the boon thou wouldst have.' Thereupon that great car-warrior, the highly powerful and mighty-armed Bhagiratha, with clasped hands, said unto the Grand-sire of all creatures,--'If, adorable one, thou art pleased with me, if thou wouldst grant me the fruit of my asceticism, may Sagara's sons receive water at my hands; and on the ashes of those high-souled ones being laved by the waters of Ganga, may my great-grand-fathers without fail repair unto heaven! And, O divine one, I beseech thee, may our line never languish for want of offspring. May, O God, this prime boon light upon Ikshwaku's race!' When the king had said this, the Grand-sire addressed him these sweet and auspicious words composed of melting letters,--'O mighty car-warrior Bhagiratha, high is this thy aim. Be it so, good betide thee, thou enhancer of the Ikshwaku line. This Haimavati Ganga, Himavat's elder daughter, even her to hold, O king, do thou employ Hara; for Ganga's fall, O king, Earth will not be able to sustain. And to hold her, O king, find I none save the weilder of the Trident." Having thus addressed the monarch, and greeted Ganga, the creator of the worlds repaired to heaven with the celestials.

When that god of gods had gone away, Bhagiratha, O Rama, pressing the earth with his thumb, spent a year in adoring Siva. And when the year was complete, Uma's lord, Pacupati, worshipped of all the worlds, spake unto the king, saying,--'O foremost of men, I am well-pleased with thee: I will do what will be for thy welfare. I will hold the Mountain's daughter on my head.' Then, O Rama, that one bowed unto by all creatures, the elder daughter of Himavat, assuming an exceedingly mighty shape, with irresistible impetus precipitated herself from the welkin upon Siva's gracious head. And that divine one, Ganga, exceedingly difficult to sustain, thought,--'I will enter the nether regions, carrying off Sankara by my streams.' Knowing her proud intention, the adorable Hara waxed wroth; and the three-eyed deity set his heart upon enveloping her. And, O Rama, as that sacred one plunged upon Rudra's holy head of tangled locks, resembling Himavat, she could by no means reach the earth, despite all her endeavours; nor did she obtain egress from under the matted locks. And she wandered there for many a year. And finding Ganga in this plight, Bhagiratha became again engaged in high austerities. And thereupon Siva, O descendant of Raghu, was exceedingly gratified; and cast Ganga off in the direction of the Vindu lake. And as she was let off, seven streams branched out from her. And the three streams of the excellent Ganga of auspicious waters went in an easterly direction; while the Suchakshu, the Sita, and that mighty river the Sindhu flowed on the auspicious west. And the seventh followed Bhagiratha's car. And that royal saint, the exceedingly puissant Bhagiratha, mounted on a superb car, went before; and Ganga followed him. And she descended from the welkin upon Sankara's head, thence alighting upon the earth; and there her waters flowed with thundering sounds. And earth looked beautiful with swarms of fallen and falling fishes, and tortoises, and porpoises. And then celestials and saints and Gandharbas, and Yakshas and Siddhas mounted on excellent elephants and horses and cars resembling cities, looked on Ganga descending upon the earth. And the celestials stationed on cars were struck with surprise; and all creatures marvelled at the excellent descent of Ganga. And eager to witness the spectacle, celestial hosts of immeasurable energy came there. And in consequence of the celestials coming thither, and the effulgence of their ornaments, the firmament free from clouds, shone as if with an hundred suns. And the sky was graced with fast-fleeting porposies and serpents and fishes resembling playing lightning; and the welkin scattered with pale foam-flakes by thousands, appeared as if it was scattered with autumnal clouds swarming with cranes. And the river proceeded sometimes rapidly, and sometimes awry, and sometimes in volumes, and sometimes sloping, and sometimes ascending, and sometimes languidly; and sometimes water clashed with water; and sometimes ascending an upland, it descended into a dell. And the pellucid and pure water first descending upon Sankara's head, and thence on to the earth, appeared exceedingly beautiful. And there the saints and the Gandharbas, as well as the inhabitants of the earth, touched the sacred water flowing from Bhaba's body. And those that had fallen from the sky unto the earth in consequence of some curse or other, having bathed there, and thereby having their sins washed and removed by that sanctifying water, again ascended the sky and entered their respective regions. And through the agency of that shining water, all beings, feeling delight, rejoiced, and having bathed in Ganga, became cleansed from sin. And stationed on an excellent car that mighty king, the royal saint Bhagiratha, went first, and Ganga went at his back. And the gods, and the saints, and the Daityas, and the Danavas, and the Rakshasas, and the foremost of Gandharbas and Yakshas, and the Kinnaras, and the mighty Uragas, and the Serpents, and the Apsaras, O Rama and the acquatic animals in a body following Bhagiratha's car, with glad hearts went in the wake of Ganga. And withersoever king Bhagiratha went, the famous Ganga, foremost of streams, capable of destroying all sins, went. And Ganga flooded the sacrificial ground of the high-souled Jahnu, of wonderful deeds, as he was performing a sacrifice. Thereat, O Raghava, reading her insolence, Jahnu, waxing wroth, drank up all her wonderful waters. Thereupon, the deities, and the Gandharbas, and the saints, struck with amazement, fell to worshipping that foremost of men, the high-souled Jahnu and brought Ganga into the daughtership of that high souled one. And that highly energetic lord, being propitiated, let Ganga off through his ears. Therefore it is that Ganga goes by the name of Jahnu's daughter Jahnavi. Then Ganga again began to follow Bhagiratha's car. And having reached the ocean, that foremost of streams, with the object of accomplishing his work, entered into the subterranean regions. And having carefully brought Ganga, that royal saint, Bhagiratha, having his senses bewildered beheld his grand-fathers reduced to ashes. And the excellent waters of Ganga overflowed that heap of ashes; and thereupon, O best of the Raghus, they, their sins purged, attained heaven."