Indian Antiquary Vol 50

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 13

JAN., 1921)
THE EARLY COURSE OF THE GANGES.
long absence, Sagara sent his grandson Anbuman to find them out. He entered Rasktala by the path they had made, found them reduced to ashes and recovered the horse ; but he was told by Garuda that without the purification of their ashes by the water of the holy river Ganges, there could be no salvation for their manes. He brought back the horse and completed the sacrifice. After Sagara's death, Atsuman asoended the throne of Ayodhya, and, leaving the reins of Government in the hands of his son Dilipa, went to the Himalaya to perform asceticism. Dilipa was likewise unable to devise any means for bringing down the Ganges, and was succeeded after his decease by his son Bhagiratha, who also practised austerities for the purpose for many years at Gokarna. He was advised by Brahma to propitiate Mahadeva with a view to hold Ganga on his head, and thus break the force of her fall from heaven and so save the earth from destruction. Bhagiratha followed his advice. Mahadeva was pleased by his austerities, and instructed Bhagiratha to request Gaiga to fall upon his (Mahadeva's) head. The goddess had her own vanity to satisfy : she conceived the idea of entering Rasktala by drawing him along with her current. But the omniscient god read her thought and caught her in the tangle of his matted hair. She was thus unable to find an outlet ; but on Bhagiratha's interession, Mahadeva allowed her to fall into the Bindu-sarovara. At this place Gangå branched into seven streams, three of which went to the west, three to the east, and the last followed Bhagiratha who, seated on his chariot, led her on. During the journey, she flooded Jahnu's hermitage and was drunk off at one draught. Bhagiratha, however propitiated the ascetio by his entreaties, and thus she became the daughter of Jahnu, and since then she has been called Jahnavi, as she is called Bhagirathi or the daughter of Bhagiratha, being brought down from heaven by he latter. Ganga followed Bhagiratha in her course and joined with Sagara or the ocean, and entered that part of Rasåtala where the sixty-thousand sons of Sagara had been reduced to ashes by the curse of Kapila ; she flooded their remains with the sacred water, and obtained for them salvation. At this time Brahmâ declared that she would be known by the name of " Tripathaga," on account of her having passed through the three paths of Swarga (heaven), Martta (earth) and Rasåtala (the nether region). I have related the story of the descent of Gangå or the river Ganges, as given in the
Ramayana, at some length, in view of its bearing upon facts connect ancient works.
of ed with her course. I should here observe that the main feature of
the story is the same in the Mahabharata, the Puranas and the Upa Puranas, the differences being confined to minor details and names of places here and there. All the aforesaid works, however, agree in three points, viz., the souroe of the Ganges, he Junction with the Yamuna (Jumna), and her fall into the ocean at Sagara-saogama or Kapila-âsrama (the hermitage of Kapila Muni). Before proceeding further, I should make some remarks regarding the place where
Bhagiratha performed asceticism with the object of bringing down Bhagiratha's place of place of Gangå from heaven. The Ramayana states that he performed a us
a boom heaven. T asoeticism.
terities at Gokarna. The Mahabharata simply says that Bhagiratha's place of asceticism was in the Himalaya, while some of the Puranas mention that
1 Ramdyana, I, che. 38–44. 1 Ramayana, I, ch. 42:
Mantrish vadh ya.tadrájyam Gangavatarane rataḥ
Tapo dirghan sa matishthad Gokarne Raghunandanah. 12. 3 Mahabhdrata, Vana Parva, ch. 108.