Episode Fourteen - The Legend of Ganga

Welcome to the fourteenth episode of The Journey of Rama. If this is your first encounter with The Journey, please read Episode One first.

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On with Episode Fourteen!

Vishvamitra, Rama, and Lakshman drew closer to the Kingdom of the Videhas as they reached the banks of the holy Ganga, also known as the Ganges. They reached the home of a group of forest hermits who were delighted to welcome the great Vishvamitra as well as the two princes of Ayodhya. News of the miraculous liberation of Ahalya had already reached this part of the forest, and the hermits felt blessed to be in the presence of Rama, who accepted their pranams with grace and humility.

Vishvamitra directed Rama and Lakshman to make camp. The riverside was a perfect spot for Vishvamitra to tell the princes the story of Ganga’s descent to Earth. While they knew that this river purifies everything it touches, Vishvamitra felt it was important to explain to the princes the origin of this celestial stream.

“Gaze upon the holy river, my princes,” began Vishvamitra, “while I tell this tale.” Rama and Lakshman bowed to the river with joined hands, then sat on the riverbank. The hermits gathered around to listen. “Ages ago, your ancestor King Sagara wanted to prove his sovereignty over the lands near Ayodhya by performing the Ashvamedha, the Horse Sacrifice. One of the King’s horses was released to wander for a year. At the end of the year, if the horse had traveled unchallenged, all lands traversed by it would belong to the King. Lord Indra did not like King Sagara and feared his taking dominion over so much land. Indra decided to steal the horse so that the ritual would be unsuccessful. He captured the horse and hid it at the ashram of Sage Kapila, in the Lower World while Kapila himself was engrossed in deep meditation.

“Learning that the horse had been stolen,” Vishvamitra continued, “the King sent all his 60,000 sons to search for it. They found the horse grazing at Kapila’s ashram, and thinking that the sage had stolen the horse, they interrupted his meditation. Kapila awoke enraged and, with the yogic power of his gaze, turned all the 60,000 sons of Sagara to ashes!”

Vishvamitra paused for effect. Rama and Lakshman, along with the forest dwellers, waited patiently for their master to resume his story.

“King Sagara was bereft at the loss of his sons, especially by a sage’s curse. He sent his grandson Anshuman to ask the sage Kapila if there could be a way to bring peace and deliverance to the souls of his sons. Kapila replied that only the pure and holy waters of the Ganga, which flowed in the Upper World, could liberate the King’s sons.

“It would require the grace of Lord Brahma the Creator to release Ganga upon the Earth, but the force of the mighty celestial river crashing onto the world would destroy it. Nevertheless, two generations later, Anshuman’s grandson Bhagiratha took it upon himself to do intense austerities and practices to win the favor of the Gods. The severity of Bhagiratha’s practices impressed both Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva such that Brahma permitted Ganga to descend to Earth, while Shiva broke Ganga’s fall by allowing her to flow through the coils of his hair so that her force would not shatter the Earth.

Bhagiratha then led Ganga south to the sea. From there, the river flowed gently to the Lower World, where her waters liberated the sons of King Sagara.”

“And she continues to flow and liberate souls?” asked Rama.

“Indeed,” replied Vishvamitra, “and continues to flow through all three worlds.”

At Vishvamitra’s instruction, the princes made offerings to Ganga, then took their rest before continuing to Mithila the following morning.

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