The Story of King Sagara (Sarga 38-44)

The Birth of King Sagara’s Sons and the Preparation for the Sacrifice (Sarga 38)

Long ago, in Ayodhya, there ruled a righteous king famed by the name King Sagara. He had no sons, so he was always eager to be blessed with children.
O Shri Ram, Princess Keshinī of Vidarbha was King Sagara’s elder queen. She was very virtuous and truth-loving. Sagara’s second queen was Sumati—daughter of Arishṭanemi Kaśyapa and sister of Garuḍa. With both his queens, King Sagara went to the Himalayas and began austerities on the peak named Bhrigu-prasavana. After a full hundred years, the best among truth-speakers, the great sage Bhrigu, was pleased by their penance and granted a boon to King Sagara:
“O lord of men, you shall obtain many sons. O best of men, you will win unmatched fame in this world. My child, one of your queens will bear a single son who will continue your lineage, and the other will be the mother of sixty thousand sons.”

As the great Bhrigu spoke thus, both princesses—the queens—pleased him, grew very delighted, and with folded hands asked, “O Brahmin, which queen will bear the one son, and which will be the mother of many? We both wish to hear this. May your words prove true.”
Hearing them, the supremely righteous Bhrigu replied in noble words, “Ladies, declare your own wish here. Would you rather receive a single son who sustains the line, or many sons—very strong, famous, and extremely energetic? Of these two boons, which one does each queen choose?”

O delight of Raghu’s line, Shri Ram—since Sage Viśvāmitra is telling this origin story of Sagara to you—he addresses you from time to time. Hearing the sage’s words, Keshinī chose, before King Sagara, the boon of one lineage-sustaining son. Then Sumati, sister of Garuḍa, chose the boon of bearing sixty thousand sons, famed and full of zeal.
Raghunandan, after that, King Sagara, together with his queens, circumambulated the sage, bowed at his feet, and departed for his city.

In due time, the elder queen Keshinī bore Sagara’s legitimate son, Asamanja—the lion among men. The younger queen Sumati produced a single embryo shaped like a gourd. When it was broken open, sixty thousand infants came out. They were placed in jars filled with ghee, and nurses raised them. As many days passed, all those boys reached youth. Thus, after a long time, sixty thousand sons of King Sagara, radiant with his form and vigor, were grown.

Best of men, Raghunandan, Sagara’s eldest son Asamanja would seize the boys of the city and throw them into the Sarayu river; as they began to drown, he would laugh. When, devoted to sinful acts, he started hurting good people and harming the townsfolk, his father expelled him from the city. Asamanja’s son was named Anśumān—very valiant, sweet-speaking, and dear to all.

O best of men, after some time King Sagara firmly resolved, “I will perform a sacrifice.” Fixed in this decision, the Veda-knowing king began preparing for the sacrifice with his priests. Here ends Sarga Thirty-Eight.

Sarga 39: Indra Steals Sagara’s Sacrificial Horse; Sagara’s Sons Dig Through the Earth; the Gods Report to Brahmā

Hearing Viśvāmitra’s words, Shri Rāmachandra grew very pleased. At the end of the episode, he said to the fire-bright Viśvāmitra, “O Brahmin, blessings on you; I wish to hear this story in full. How did my ancestor Sagara perform the sacrifice?”
Hearing this, Viśvāmitra was delighted—for it was exactly what he wished to narrate—and burst into hearty laughter. Laughing, he said to Shri Ram, “Ram, listen in detail to the great sacrifice of the magnanimous Sagara.”

O best of men, between the mountain known as Śaṅkar’s Keśavaśivān and Vindhyāchal, and between Vindhya and Himavān, the two gaze upon each other—meaning there is no high mountain in between to obstruct their mutual sight. In the sacred land of Āryāvarta between these two ranges, the sacrifice was performed. O son of Kakutstha, that land is the best for sacrifices. By King Sagara’s command, the duty of guarding the sacrificial horse was entrusted to the firm-bowed, great chariot-warrior Anśumān.

But on the festival day, Indra took the horse—assuming the form of a rākṣasa—while King Sagara was engaged in the rite. When the horse was carried off, the officiating priests said to King Sagara, who was undertaking the rite, “O Kakutstha, today, on the festival day, someone is swiftly taking away the sacrificial horse. Slay the thief and bring the horse back; otherwise the sacrifice will be obstructed and become inauspicious for us all. O King, act so that this sacrifice is completed without any hindrance.”

Seated in the sacrificial assembly, hearing his priests, King Sagara said to his sixty thousand sons, “O foremost among men, this great sacrifice is being performed by noble souls purified by Vedic mantras and by inward purity. I do not think rākṣasas could enter here. The one who stole the horse must be a being of the deva order. Therefore, sons, go search for the horse. Blessings on you. Search the entire earth girdled by the ocean. Divide the land, one yojana each, and examine every span. Until the horse is found, keep digging the earth by my command; the one aim in digging is to flush out the horse-thief. I am under the vow of consecration and cannot go myself. So until the horse is seen, I will remain here with the priests and my grandson Anśumān.”

O Shri Ram, bound by the fetter of their father’s command, those mighty princes felt inner joy and set off upon the earth. Even after circling the whole world and not finding the horse, those great heroes divided the land—one yojana portion each—and began to dig with their own arms. The touch of their arms was as unbearable as the touch of a thunderbolt.
Raghunandan, then the earth, torn all around by thunderbolt-like spikes, picks, and very dreadful ploughs, began to roar. The terrified cries of nāgas, asuras, rākṣasas, and other beings echoed as the princes slew them. O delight of the Raghu line, they dug sixty thousand yojanas of land. Seeking even the netherworlds, they went on.

O best of men, Ram, thus digging the Jambūdvīpa with its mountains, the princes circled on every side. At that time, together with gandharvas, asuras, and nāgas, all the gods grew anxious in their hearts and went to Brahmā. With dejection on their faces and extremely distressed by fear, they pleased the great Brahmā and said, “Lord, Sagara’s sons are digging up the entire earth and killing many sages and aquatic beings. Saying, ‘He is the one who obstructs our sacrifice and steals our horse,’ the sons of Sagara are slaughtering all creatures.”

Here Sarga Thirty-Nine ends.

Sarga 40: Brahmā Foretells the Destruction of Sagara’s Sons; They Reach Sage Kapila and Are Burned by His Wrath

Hearing the gods, Brahmā said, “O gods, this whole earth belongs to Lord Vāsudeva, and she is consort to Lord Lakṣmīpati. That all-powerful Lord Hari is sustaining the earth in the form of Sage Kapila. By the fire of his wrath, these princes will be burned to ashes. This order of things is eternal; it recurs in every kalpa. From the words ‘sāgara’, etc., in the Śruti and Smṛti, this fact is clearly known. Far-seeing seers have indeed seen the destined destruction of Sagara’s sons; therefore grieving over it is improper.”
Hearing Brahmā’s words, the thirty-three gods, who subdue their foes, were filled with joy and returned as they had come.

While the sons of Sagara dug the earth, sounds as fearsome as thunderclaps arose. After digging the whole earth and circling it, they returned to their father empty-handed and said:
“Father, we searched the whole earth. We slew mighty beings—devas, dānavas, rākṣasas, piśācas, and nāgas—but we neither saw the horse nor the thief. What should we do now? Kindly devise a way.”

Raghunandan, hearing his sons, the best among kings grew angry and said, “Go. Dig the whole earth again, tear it open, and track down the horse-thief. Only after reaching the thief and completing the task may you return.”
Accepting the great King Sagara’s command upon their heads, the sixty thousand princes moved toward the nether regions and, burning with fury, kept digging the earth.

During that digging they saw a mountain-like elephant-guardian named Virūpākṣa, who supports this earth. O Raghunandan, the great elephant Virūpākṣa bears the whole earth with its mountains and forests on his head. When that giant, resting, shifts his head to and fro, earthquakes arise. Offering circumambulation and honor to Virūpākṣa, guardian of the east, the princes pierced through to the netherworld and moved on.

Having pierced the east, they dug toward the south, where they saw another great guardian elephant named Mahāpadma, tall and vast like a great mountain. Marveling, the sixty thousand sons of Sagara circumambulated him and then began piercing the west. In the west they beheld the mountain-like guardian elephant Somas. Circumambulating him and asking after his welfare, the princes dug on to the north.

Best of the Raghus, in the north they saw the snow-white elephant Bhadrā (Bhadhra), who upheld the earth upon his auspicious body. After inquiring of his welfare and circumambulating him, the sons of Sagara resumed digging. Then, reaching the famed northeast, the princes, united, angrily began to dig the earth. There they beheld the eternal Vāsudeva in the form of Bhagavān Kapila. The sacrificial horse of King Sagara stood there near Bhagavān Kapila. Seeing it, they felt extraordinary joy.
But taking Bhagavān Kapila to be the one who obstructed their sacrifice, their eyes grew red with rage. Armed with hoes, ploughs, and various trees and stones, they rushed toward him and shouted, “Stand there! Stand! You brought our sacrificial horse here, didn’t you? Evil-minded one, we have arrived—know that we are sons of the great King Sagara!”

Viśvāmitra says to Ram: Hearing their words, Bhagavān Kapila was greatly angered. In the surge of his wrath, one roar burst from his mouth—and with that roar, the immeasurably powerful Kapila burned all those sons of Sagara to ashes.

Here Sarga Forty ends.

Sarga 41: By Sagara’s Command, Anśumān Retrieves the Horse from the Netherworld and Learns of His Uncles’ Death

Raghunandan, when many days had passed since the princes went below, King Sagara said to his grandson Anśumān, radiant with his own splendor:
“Child, you are brave, wise, and as brilliant as our forefathers. Follow your uncles’ path and find the thief who carried off my sacrificial horse. Beneath the earth live mighty beings—so take sword and bow to face them. Bow to the venerable and strike those who obstruct you. Do this and return tomorrow with success and complete my sacrifice.”

At the king’s words, the heroic Anśumān quickly set out with bow and sword. Following the path within the earth that his high-souled uncles had made, he went forth. There he saw a guardian elephant whom gods, dānavas, rākṣasas, piśācas, birds, and nāgas all worshiped. Circumambulating and asking after his welfare, Anśumān asked that guardian about his uncles and the horse-thief.
Hearing the question, the supremely wise guardian said, “O son of Asamanja, complete your task and return swiftly with the horse.”
In this way, Anśumān, moving on, asked each guardian in due order.

All those guardians, skilled in grasping the essence of words and speech, honored Anśumān and blessed him, “You will return with the horse.” Hearing their blessings, Anśumān hurried on and reached the place where his uncles—the sons of Sagara—lay as heaps of ash. Their slaughter plunged Asamanja’s son into deep grief; overwhelmed, he burst into sobs. Nearby he also saw the sacrificial horse standing.

The mighty Anśumān wished to offer water for the oblations to those princes, but there was no water to be seen anywhere.
O Shri Ram, then he cast his far-seeing gaze around and beheld Garuḍa, swift as the wind—uncle to the sons of Sagara. The mighty Vinatā-born Garuḍa said to Anśumān:
“Lion among men, do not grieve. The death of these princes is for the welfare of the world. The immeasurably powerful Bhagavān Kapila has burned them. It is not proper to offer them worldly water. O best of men, let Gaṅgā, the eldest daughter of Bhagavān (here: of ‘Ibān’—Lord) wash these ashes. When world-purifying Gaṅgā bathes these sixty thousand princes with her waters, at that very moment they will reach heaven. Let the heap of ash moistened by Gaṅgā’s water send them to the celestial realm. Now take the horse and go, and complete your grandsire’s sacrifice.”

Hearing Garuḍa, the exceedingly valiant, great-ascetic Anśumān took the horse and returned at once.
Raghunandan, reaching the consecrated king, he reported everything, including Garuḍa’s instruction. Hearing this dreadful news from Anśumān’s lips, King Sagara, following the ordinances, duly completed his sacrifice. When it was over, the lord of the earth, King Sagara, returned to his capital. There he pondered deeply how to bring Gaṅgā to earth, but could reach no firm decision. Though he reflected for a long time, no definite means appeared. After ruling for twenty-five thousand years, he ascended to heaven. Here Sarga Forty-One ends.

Sarga 42: The Austerities of Anśumān and Bhagiratha; Brahmā Grants Bhagiratha’s Wish and Directs Him to Win Śiva’s Support to Receive Gaṅgā

O Shri Ram, after Sagara’s death, the people expressed their wish to crown the supremely righteous Anśumān king—just as the boon had said at the start: one queen would bear the lineage-holder, the other sixty thousand sons (who had now perished).
Raghunandan, Anśumān became a very powerful king. His son was Dilip, also a great man. O joy of the Raghu line, King Anśumān gave the kingdom to Dilip and went to the pleasant peaks of the Himalaya, where he practiced very severe austerities. Reaching that forest of penance, the famed Anśumān performed tapas for thirty-two thousand years; enriched by the wealth of asceticism, he laid down his body there and went to the world of the righteous, joining his forefathers.

Hearing of his ancestors’ fate, the brilliant Dilip lived in great sorrow. Though he thought deeply with his own wisdom, he found no firm way. Always he wondered how Gaṅgā might descend to earth, how, with Gaṅgā’s water, the obsequial offering could be made, and how he might redeem his forefathers.
In time, by his righteous conduct, a supremely virtuous son was born to him—Bhagīratha—famed for his dharma. The mighty Dilip performed many sacrifices and ruled for thirty thousand years. Unable to arrive at a decision about rescuing the forefathers, King Dilip, afflicted by disease, died; enthroning his son Bhagiratha, he ascended to Indra’s realm through the merit of his deeds.

Raghunandan, the righteous royal seer Bhagiratha had no children and desired offspring. Even so, entrusting the protection of people and kingdom to his ministers, he devoted himself to bringing Gaṅgā down to earth, and began great austerities at the Gokarṇa shrine. With both arms raised, practicing the pañcāgni vow, restraining the senses, he took food only once a month. In such fierce tapas, a thousand years passed. Pleased, Brahmā, lord of the peoples, came with the gods and said:
“King Bhagiratha, I am very pleased by your excellent austerity. O keeper of a noble vow, ask a boon.”

The highly radiant Bhagiratha, hands folded, stood before the grandsire of all worlds and said:
“Lord, if you are pleased with me, and if there is any excellent fruit of this tapas, then let the sons of Sagara receive Gaṅgā’s water through me. When the ashes of those great souls are bathed by Gaṅgā’s water, may all my great-grandfathers attain the eternal heaven. I also pray to you for progeny, that our lineage never perish. May the boon I ask apply to the entire Ikṣvāku realm.”

Hearing King Bhagiratha, the grandsire of all worlds spoke in a sweet, auspicious voice:
“O increaser of the Ikṣvāku line, mighty chariot-warrior Bhagiratha, blessings on you. Your great desire shall be fulfilled as you wish. But, O King, Gaṅgā is the elder daughter of the Himalaya, named Hemavatī. To receive her descent, win over Bhagavān Śaṅkara. O King, the earth cannot bear the force of Gaṅgā’s fall; other than the trident-bearing Śaṅkara, I see none who can sustain her.”
Thus instructing him, Brahmā also asked the goddess Gaṅgā to show favor to Bhagiratha, and then, with all the gods and Maruts, returned to heaven. Here Sarga Forty-Two ends.

Sarga 43: Lord Śiva, Pleased with Bhagiratha’s Austerity, Bears Gaṅgā on His Head; She Splits into Seven Streams and Follows Bhagiratha to Redeem His Ancestors

O Shri Ram, after Brahmā departed, King Bhagiratha stood on earth balancing only on the tips of his great toes for one year, absorbed in worship of Bhagavān Śaṅkara. (How can such a thing be possible by the toes alone?—this will be explained later, the narrator says.) When the year was complete, the universally revered Lord Paśupati appeared and said, “Best of men, I am greatly pleased with you. I shall certainly accomplish your cherished task. I will bear the mountain-born goddess Gaṅgā upon my head.”

With Śaṅkara’s consent, the Himalaya’s daughter Gaṅgā—before whom the whole world bows—assumed a vast form and, making her force unbearable, leapt from the sky onto Śiva’s resplendent head. At that time, the extremely formidable Gaṅgā thought, “With my fierce torrent I will sweep Śaṅkara away and plunge into the netherworlds.” Knowing her pride, the three-eyed Lord Hari (Śiva) grew angry and resolved to make her vanish. Falling upon Rudra’s holy head, Gaṅgā became entangled in the cavern of his matted locks, shining like a mountainous mass. Though she fell again and again, she could not reach the earth. Caught in Śiva’s matted hair, though she reached the edge, she found no way out and wandered there for many years.

Raghunandan, seeing Gaṅgā hidden in Śiva’s matted hair, Bhagiratha again undertook intense austerity and satisfied the Lord. Then Mahādeva led Gaṅgā to Bindu-sarovar and released her there. As she flowed out, she divided into seven streams: Halādinī, Pāvanī, and Nalini—these three auspicious, welfare-bringing streams flowed eastward; Suchakṣu, Sītā, and Mahānadi Sindhu—these three pure streams flowed westward. The seventh stream followed behind King Bhagiratha’s chariot. The radiant royal seer rode ahead in his divine chariot, and Gaṅgā followed his path—from the sky, to Śaṅkara’s head, and thence to earth.

With loud gurgling sounds, the flood of Gaṅgā surged swiftly; shoals of fish, tortoises, and dolphins tumbled within her, and the earth shone with those water-creatures. Then gods, ṛṣis, gandharvas, and siddhas, seated in sky-chariots as large as cities, on horses and elephants, looked down in wonder at Gaṅgā descending from sky to earth. Dazzled, the hosts of gods gathered, their brilliance making the cloudless sky shine as though hundreds of suns had risen. With the leaping of dolphins, serpents, and nimble fishes, the sky above the river seemed lit with flickers like dancing lightning. Foam, shattered by winds and eddies into thousands of pieces, spread everywhere in the air, appearing like white autumn clouds or flights of swans.

Gaṅgā’s current ran now swift, now crooked, now broad; here plunging down, there rising high; on level ground she flowed gently, and at times her own waters dashed against themselves. Pure and holy, falling from the sky to Śiva’s head and from there to earth, Gaṅgā’s waters shone resplendently. The sages and gandharvas dwelling on earth, thinking this water sanctified by contact with Śiva’s head, sipped it. Those who had fallen from heaven through a curse bathed in Gaṅgā and became free of sin; cleansed, they regained merit, rose again to the sky, and rejoined their own people. Touched by that radiant water, the whole world rejoiced forever; bathing in Gaṅgā, all became purified.

As said before, King Bhagiratha rode ahead in his divine chariot, and Gaṅgā followed him. O Shri Ram, at that time all kinds of beings—gods, sages, daityas, dānavas, rākṣasas, gandharvas, yakṣas, kinnaras, great nāgas and serpents, and apsarās—walked joyfully behind Bhagiratha’s chariot along with Gaṅgā; the water-creatures too accompanied her current.

Wherever King Bhagiratha went, there went Gaṅgā, destroyer of all sins and foremost among rivers. On the way, the mighty, high-souled King Jahnu was performing a sacrifice. Gaṅgā’s flood swept away his sacrificial pavilion. Taking this as Gaṅgā’s pride, King Jahnu grew angry and drank up all her waters—a marvel to the world. Then gods, gandharvas, and sages, greatly astonished, praised the great-souled king. They made Gaṅgā his daughter—assuring him of that relation. Pleased, the powerful, radiant Jahnu released Gaṅgā again through the holes of his ears. Therefore Gaṅgā became Jāhnavī, daughter of Jahnu.

From there, Jāhnavī followed Bhagiratha’s chariot and flowed on. At last the foremost of rivers reached the ocean and, to fulfill the work of redeeming Bhagiratha’s ancestors, entered the netherworlds. The royal seer Bhagiratha carefully led Gaṅgā there. He beheld his great-uncles—the sons of Sagara—lying as heaps of ash, insensate by the curse. Then Gaṅgā’s excellent waters bathed those ashes, and all the princes, freed of sin, ascended to heaven. Here Sarga Forty-Three ends.

Sarga 44: Brahmā Praises Bhagiratha; He Performs the Offerings with Gaṅgā Water and Returns to His City; the Glory of the Descent of Gaṅgā

Addressing Shri Ram, Viśvāmitra says:
“O Shri Ram, with Gaṅgā at his side, King Bhagiratha went to the ocean and then entered the netherworld where his forefathers had been reduced to ash. When the heap of ash was flooded by Gaṅgā’s water, Brahmā, lord of all worlds, appeared there and said:
‘Best of men, you have delivered the sixty thousand sons of the great King Sagara. They have reached heaven like the gods. As long as the waters of the ocean remain in this world, so long shall Sagara’s sons be established in heaven like the celestials. This Gaṅgā shall also be your eldest daughter, and by your name she will be famed as Bhāgīrathī. In this world she is renowned by three names—Tripathagā, Divyā, and Bhāgīrathī—for she follows three paths: sky, earth, and netherworld. O king, now offer the libations to all your forefathers with Gaṅgā’s water and thus fulfill your vow and theirs. Your ancestor, the righteous and greatly famed King Sagara, wished to bring Gaṅgā here, but his desire was not fulfilled. Likewise, the sinless, radiant royal seer Anśumān, as powerful a tapasvin as myself, desired to bring Gaṅgā to earth, yet could not complete that vow. Your exceedingly brilliant father Dilip also wished this and did not succeed. O foremost of men, you have accomplished the vow of bringing Gaṅgā to earth; therefore you have gained supreme and great renown in the world. Subduer of foes, by bringing Gaṅgā down you have attained this great Brahma-loka, the refuge of Dharma. Gaṅgā’s water is ever fit for holy bathing—bathe in it yourself and gain the fruit of merit. Offer the oblations to all your forefathers. Blessings on you. I now return to my realm; do you also return to your capital.’”

So saying, the grandsire of all worlds, the greatly famed lord of the gods, Brahmā, went to his world as he had come. The supremely illustrious royal seer King Bhagiratha then, with Gaṅgā’s excellent water, duly performed the obsequial rites for all the sons of Sagara. Purified, he returned to his city. Having achieved his cherished aim, he governed his kingdom.
Raghunandan, seeing their king again before them, the people rejoiced greatly; their sorrow vanished, their wishes were fulfilled, and their cares were gone.
“O Shri Ram, I have told you at length the story of Gaṅgā.”
Here ends Sarga Forty-Four, and the tale of Gaṅgā’s descent is complete.