सा बभूव विसर्पन्ती त्रिधा राजन् समुद्रगा ॥
फेनपुञ्जाकुलजला हंसानाम् इव पङ्क्तयः ॥
क्व चिद् आभोगकुटिला प्रस्खलन्ती क्व चित् क्व चित् ॥
स्वफेनपटसंवीता मत्तेव प्रमदाव्रजत् ॥
क्व चित् सा तोयनिनदैर् नदन्ती नादम् उत्तमम् ॥
एवं प्रकारान् सुबहून् कुर्वन्ती गगनाच् च्युता ॥
पृथिवीतलम् आसाद्य भगीरथम् अथाब्रवीत् ॥
दर्शयस्व महाराज मार्गं केन व्रजाम्य् अहम् ॥
त्वदर्थम् अवतीर्णास्मि पृथिवीं पृथिवीपते ॥
एतच् छ्रुत्वा वचो राजा प्रातिष्ठत भगीरथः ॥
यत्र तानि शरीराणि सागराणां महात्मनाम् ॥
पावनार्थं नरश्रेष्ठ पुण्येन सलिलेन ह ॥
गङ्गाया धारणं कृत्वा हरो लोकनमस्कृतः ॥
कैलासं पर्वतश्रेष्ठं जगाम त्रिदशैः सह ॥
समुद्रं च समासाद्य गङ्गया सहितो नृपः ॥
पूरयाम् आस वेगेन समुद्रं वरुणालयम् ॥
दुहितृत्वे च नृपतिर् गङ्गां समनुकल्पयत् ॥
पितॄणां चोदकं तत्र ददौ पूर्णमनोरथः ॥
एतत् ते सर्वम् आख्यातं गङ्गा त्रिपथगा यथा ॥
पूरणार्थं समुद्रस्य पृथिवीम् अवतारिता ॥
समुद्रश् च यथा पीतः कारणार्थे महात्मना ॥
वातापिश् च यथा नीतः क्षयं स ब्रह्महा प्रभो ॥
अगस्त्येन महाराज यन् मां त्वं परिपृच्छसि ॥
sā babhūva visarpantī tridhā rājan samudragā ||
phenapuñjākulajalā haṃsānām iva paṅktayaḥ ||
kva cid ābhogakuṭilā praskhalantī kva cit kva cit ||
svaphenapaṭasaṃvītā matteva pramadāvrajat ||
kva cit sā toyaninadair nadantī nādam uttamam ||
evaṃ prakārān subahūn kurvantī gaganāc cyutā ||
pṛthivītalam āsādya bhagīratham athābravīt ||
darśayasva mahārāja mārgaṃ kena vrajāmy aham ||
tvadartham avatīrṇāsmi pṛthivīṃ pṛthivīpate ||
etac chrutvā vaco rājā prātiṣṭhata bhagīrathaḥ ||
yatra tāni śarīrāṇi sāgarāṇāṃ mahātmanām ||
pāvanārthaṃ naraśreṣṭha puṇyena salilena ha ||
gaṅgāyā dhāraṇaṃ kṛtvā haro lokanamaskṛtaḥ ||
kailāsaṃ parvataśreṣṭhaṃ jagāma tridaśaiḥ saha ||
samudraṃ ca samāsādya gaṅgayā sahito nṛpaḥ ||
pūrayām āsa vegena samudraṃ varuṇālayam ||
duhitṛtve ca nṛpatir gaṅgāṃ samanukalpayat ||
pitṝṇāṃ codakaṃ tatra dadau pūrṇamanorathaḥ ||
etat te sarvam ākhyātaṃ gaṅgā tripathagā yathā ||
pūraṇārthaṃ samudrasya pṛthivīm avatāritā ||
samudraś ca yathā pītaḥ kāraṇārthe mahātmanā ||
vātāpiś ca yathā nītaḥ kṣayaṃ sa brahmahā prabho ||
agastyena mahārāja yan māṃ tvaṃ paripṛcchasi ||
She began to spread into a threefold stream, O king, and flowed toward the ocean; her water, full of clusters of foam, resembled rows of geese. In places she wound in curves, in places she stumbled, in places, wrapped in a cloth of her own foam, she moved like an intoxicated woman, and in places she roared with the great sound of her waters. Making many such movements after falling from the sky, and reaching the surface of the earth, she said to Bhagiratha: 'Show me, great king, the path by which I am to go. For your sake, lord of the earth, I have descended upon the earth.' Hearing this word, King Bhagiratha set out for the place where lay the bodies of the great Sagaras, to purify them with the holy water. Hara, having held Ganga, honored by the world, departed for Kailasa, the finest of mountains, together with the thirty gods. Reaching the ocean together with Ganga, the king swiftly filled the abode of Varuna. This ruler acknowledged Ganga as his daughter, and there, his desire fulfilled, gave water to his forefathers. Thus have I told you all of this: how Ganga Tripathaga was brought down to earth to fill the ocean, how the great-souled Agastya drank up the ocean for a purpose, and how Vatapi, the slayer of brahmins, was brought to destruction by Agastya, great king, concerning which you asked me."
2a03ea909606 · published Jul 16, 2026, 5:02:54 PM UTC
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Bhagiratha does not stop at the miracle of the descent: he leads Ganga onward to the place of duty. Mercy becomes complete only when it reaches those for whose sake it was called down.