56 - The Descent of Ganga 

Jaimini Said:

1. “The life story of the noble-souled Sagara has been recounted to you in full, elaborately as well as succinctly. This story is conducive to the destruction of sin. 

2. This subcontinent named Bhārata lics extensively from South to North. Its expanse is nine thousand Yojanas (?). 

3. A thousand Yojanas were dug up by the sons of the king Sagara who were in search of the horse. The remaining eight thousand Yojanas were made to fall (?) 

4. Since the abode of sharks (i.e. ocean) was dug up and developed by the sons of Sagara, it obtained the name Sågara in the worlds since then. 

5. The ocean splashed its waters all round and flooded the earth including the holy centres, fields and forests upto Brahmapāda (the foot of Brahma). 

6. Then, all the Devas, Asuras and human beings living there were scattered here and there. They became afflicted with great sorrow. 

7. There is a well-known holy place named Gokarna1 which is worshipped by all the Suras. It is situated on the shore of the Western ocean. It extends to one and a half Yojanas. 

1. Gokarna—a holy place in north Kanara, Karwar Dist. of Karnatak. It is 30 miles from Goa between Karwar and Kumta. It contains the temple of Mahadeva called Mahåbaleśhvara, established by Råvana. The legend goes that Råvapa was taking god Shiva's Atma-linga to Lanka. Duc to urgency of easing, he had to entrust it to a bystander who was god Gaņeśhá in disguise. He did not want that the Atmalinga should be with a demon. He placed it on the ground. When Råvana returned, he tried to wring it out of the carth. But in vain. He went away disappointed. But due to physical wringing by Råvana, it got the shape somewhat resembling a cow's ear. The legend tries to explain the peculiar shape of this Shiva-linga. 

8. There are innumerable holy spots there. There are abodes of sages and Devas. Many groups of siddhas have been living in that holy centre from the earliest times, O king. 

9. That holy spot is famous throughout the world. It is splendid and it destroys sins. That holy spot lay in the South Western portion of the sea. 

10. It is the place where the sages of well praised holy rites performed penance and attained the highest liberation from which there is no coming back again (in samsāra). 

11. Due to the potentiality of that holy place, god Shankara stays there forever with great delight along with the goddess, the groups of goblins and Devas. 

12. If people decide to go on pilgrimage to that holy spot, and make the proposed journey, their sins perish like a dry leaf in a stormy wind. 

13. A desire to resort to that holy spot never occurs to the evil-minded ones who may even reside very near it. 

14. Only, through great religious merit can men have the desire and pleasure of making a holy pilgrimage to that sacred holy spot. Never otherwise, O king. 

15. If, out of compulsion, the mobile and the immobile living beings die there, O king, they attain permanent abode in heaven immediately. 

16. It is the most excellent holy spot among all sacred centres; by recalling it (mentally) a man becomes rid of all sins. It is the abode of all sacred Tirthas (holy waters). 

17. Some sages desirous of spiritual achievement used to live there, taking their holy bath in all these Tīrthas and always worshipping Shiva. 

18. Those who are devoid of lust and anger, who live in them without rivalry, attain that Siddhi ere long. 

19. Those who stay there engaged in Japa, and Homa will attain the desired Siddhi. They must be quiescent, self-restrained and observe the vow of celibacy. 

20. If holy rites such as the worship of the Pitrus, Devas and Brāhmaṇas, charitable gifts, Homas, Japas etc. are performed in this holy spot, O King, the fruit there-of will be tcn million times niore than that (performance of these acts) in the other holy spots. 

21-23a. When that extremely sacred holy spot became submerged in the waters of the sea, the sages endowed with great penance, who lived there climbed on to the Sahya, the excellent mountain, for the sake of a residing place. Staying there, all of them consulted one another and goi ready to go to Rama who was performing penance on the mountain Mahendra. 

The King enquired:

23b-26. After the watcrs of the ocean had been drunk by Agastya, when thc holy spot including holy sacred waters, hermitages, and forests had been made to fall down, when the king's sons (i.e. Sāgaras) lug up all round, when the other parts of the carth such as cities, villages, mines etc, and the countries lying near ihc ocean were destroyed, O excellent sage, what the persons with their abodes there, do? Did they reside there alone with every great difficulty or did they go elsewhere? What was the duration of the period in which the ocean became filled with water once again? By what means (did it become full)? O Brähmaņa, mention this to me." 

Jaimini replied:

27-29. When the marshy places lying near the ocean were destroyed by those evil-minded ones, persons having their abode therein went here and there. Some of the persons residing in the holy spots continued to live there with great difficulty. 

At the same time, O king, a son was born to Amśhuman who became wellknown on the carth as Dilipa. He was a righteous soul. 

30. The highly intelligent king Amśhumán had perfectly enjoyed the worldly pleasures, crowned Dilipa (as the ruler) of the kingdom and went to the forest with a decision in his mind to perform penance. 

31. Then the glorious Dilipa protected the entire earth righteously after defeating all the enemies. 

32. His son named Bhagiratha became very famous throughout the world. He was clever in comprehending all the topics concerning holy rites and virtue. He was resplendent and his valour and exploits were unmeasured. 

33-35. After celebrating his (Bhagiratha's) coronation in the realm, King Dilipa too went to the forest. Bhagiratha protected the earth very well after exteminating all thorns (i.c. enemies within and without). He rejoiced enjoying different kinds of worldly pleasures like the lord of Deyas in heaven. That king heard about the fact that formerly his ancestors had to fall into terrible hell as a result of the fury of a Brāhmaṇa. On hearing that all his ancestors were struck duwn by the curse of a Brāhmaṇa, be became extremely sad and dejected. 

36-38a. He became frustrated and extremely disinterested in the kingdom, his kinsmen and the enjoyments of all worldly pleasures. He entrusted the kingdom to the care of his excellent minister. The excellent king was desirous of taking his ancestors to heaven and so went to the forest for per forming penance. At the outset he propitiated the lotus-born lord Brahmä by means of great penance for securing longevity. From him he got as long a life as he desired. 

38b-39. Thereafter, O great king, he propitiated Ganga and made her pleased. From her he got the boon that she would come down to the earth from heaven. Afterwards he propitiated Śhiva by means of penance in order to hold her by means of his head. 

40-45a. The lord who favours his devotees granted that boon to him. As Gangā fell down from the top of Meru along with crocodiles, alligators and sharks, the lord of the worlds (i.e. Shiva) caught her by means of his head. Al though she was flowing with great rapidity, she got merged deep into his resplendent matted hair after reaching his head. By seeing her disappear in the head of the lord Shambhu like water within the cupped palm of the hand, he once again propitiated Hara to get her released. 

45b-46a. By the favour of Sharva, he got back Ganga once again. As she reached the earth, Bhagiratha took her towards that spot where the sons of Sagara had been burned. Following the king she flooded the entire sacrificial premises of a saintly king (Jahnu) who was performing sacrifice on the way. When the entire sacrificial chamber and installation got submerged, the saintly king became angry. He drank the entire river, as though it had been mouthful of water.1 

1. Two places claim to be the spots of jahnu's sacrificial place where Ganga was drunk' up by Jahnu (1) Bhairava ghăți below Gangotri in Garhwal (U.P.) at the junction of Bhagirathi and Jähnavi. 

(2) Sultanganj, to the west of Bhagalpur (Bihar); the temple of Gaibinath Mahadeva there which is supposed to be on the site of Jahnu's hermitage is on rock which comes out of thc bed of Gangå in front of Sultanganj. 

If the legend of the Gangå being brought by efforts of 3-4 generations of the kings of the solar race be correct, it must have been a sort of an ancient canal constructed by those kings to bring waters from the Himalayas to the parched plains of north India. In that case obstruction to the canal at Bhairavaghåți by Jahnu is feasible and not at Sultanganj. 

46b-48a. With great efforts Bhagiratha rendered service to that noble-souled saintly king for a hundred years. When he became pleased, the king got back Gangå once again. 

Since Gangå remained within the belly (of Jahnu) for a long time and emerged thereafter from it, her other name Jahnavi became famous on the earth. 

48b-5la. The celestial river followed Bhagiratha and with her own waters she splashed the ashes of the bones of all his ancestors. When the ashes of the bones were splashed with its waters, the sons of Sagara became rid of their sins at the very same moment. They went to heaven from hell. 

51b. After having led all the Sagaras to the heaven, thus, the great river went to the Eastern ocean by the same path. The celestial river had flowed towards the four quarters from the top of Meru after being split into four channels. 

52. Gangå received four names due to these four different channels viz. Sita, Alakanandă, Suchakṣhus and Bhadravati.1 

1. M. Ali identifies the rivers as follows: Sită=Yarkand-Tarim-Hwang-Ho Alakananda=Gangå Su-Chakşhus=The Oxus Bhadravati or Bhadrasomå- Syrdaria (Geog. of Puranas, p. 201) 

53. Though their waters had been dried up when Agastya drank up the waters, the four oceans became full with the waters of Gangā, once again. 

54. When the occan extended by the sons of Sagara became filled up, many countries lying nearby became submerged. 

55-57. The holy spots too lying at the outskirts of the ocean all round became sub-merged. The people who had their abodes therein went here and there. The holy spot Gokarņa about which I have told you, became submerged in the ocean, as it was near the ocean. Therefore, all those persons who had their abodes therein desired to uplift it, O King. They were desirous of meeting the mighty scion of the family of Bhrugu and so started from the Sahya mountain.