Table of Contents
Birth of Ganga and Birth of Bhagiratha
Recap
After the sixty thousand sons of Sagara were burnt by Kapila, Angshuman set forth to look for them and get the horse. There he followed the route of his uncles and met rishi Kapila. The rishi told Angshuman that Ganga needed to be brought down from heaven to liberate the dead sons of Sagara. Angshuman wanted to know about Ganga.
Rishi Kapil said to Angshuman, “You asked me about Ganga. Let me tell you how Ganga was born. Listen to this tale which starts in Goloka. The land of Narayana was a beautiful place. Even without the presence of a sun, the place shines brilliantly. Everyone there was happy, this was the place of knowledge and happiness. This particular day was special. Shiva had come to Goloka to meet Narayana. Shiva was warmly welcomed and there Shiva began praising Narayana. Narayana asked Shiva to sing. Shiva assumed the form of Panchanan – the five faced one. Music is said to have originated from these five faces. Shiva closed his eyes and began singing. It was a beautiful song praising Narayana and the creation. As he sang, Shiva began to play his drum, the Damrau. He stood up and began to gently dance and play the drum. As he danced, his matted locks swayed.
All the devas present there were enamoured. They began to sing along and some joined Shiva in the dance. Narayana himself was thrilled to see this. Instead of joining the dance, he sat quietly and went in a trance. Something strange happened then. Narayana began to sweat profusely. It looked as if he was melting away. All were stunned and were not sure what to do. Shiva stopped his singing. Brahma immediately stepped forward with his water vessel and collected the sweat.
This, my child, is Ganga. She emerged from Narayana and is thus called Narayani. If Ganga can be brought down to earth, your uncles and many others will obtain salvation. I am pleased with you and I will say this. Someone in your lineage will be successful in getting Ganga from heaven to earth. I will now return to my meditation. Take your horse. Return to Ayodhya and complete the horse sacrifice.”
After saying this, the rishi went back into his meditation. Angshuman got up and went to the horse and gently patted it on its back. He then untied the horse and left for Ayodhya.
Sagara had been waiting for Angshuman. Was sending Angshuman been a good decision? He was a young boy. Would he know what to do? He was thus thinking when Angshuman entered the site with the horse. Seeing both the horse and Angshuman, Sagara was pleased. He then began looking around. Where were his sons? Angshuman understood and slowly he told Sagara what had happened. Sagara broke down. He said, “I knew something like this would happen. Rahu had cast his shadow on them. When they were born, my sons had been cursed to die at a young age. Time and death, both have taken their toll on this sacrifice. This sacrifice is not important any longer. Angshuman, I will crown you the king of Ayodhya. Rule the kingdom. Let me go and see if I can be successful in getting Ganga down to earth.”
Saying this, Sagara sent off the priests and left the site. He called his ministers and formally crowned Angshuman the king of Ayodhya. He then left the city and set off for the Himalayas. Reaching the mountains, he chose a spot and spent his days in solitude, immersed in meditation. He continued till one day, while meditating, he passed away.
Angshuman ruled Ayodhya well. In time he got married and had a son. He named his son Dilip. When Dilip was old enough, he was crowned the king of Ayodhya. With this done, Angshuman left Ayodhya for the Himalayas. Like his grandfather before him, he too tried to meditate, please the devas and get Ganga down to earth, but was unsuccessful. He too passed away in the Himalayas.
Dilip was a great king. He ruled with the same diligence and authority like Indra in heaven. The kingdom thrived really well under his leadership. People felt very happy. They felt very secure in the kingdom; all their needs were met. All was well except that he was childless. He married one princess but had no child. He married another princess and still the same. Years passed, Dilip was still childless. Frustrated, one night Dilip just left the kingdom and set off for the mountains. There he started performing severe austerities. He gave up food and water and began living on air itself. He kept praying, till one day he too passed away in there, in the Himalayas.
The death of Dilip shocked the devas. They rushed to Brahma and said, “Lord, Dilip is dead. Who will get Ganga down to earth? How will Narayana take birth on earth? Do something.”
Brahma assured the Devas that something will be done. He then met Shiva and spoke to him. Shiva knew what to do.
After the death of Dilip, the two wives had asked the ministers to take care of the administration. The two women would spend their days in prayer and meditation. One such day when they were sitting in prayer, they felt the presence of someone. They opened their eyes and saw Shiva, sitting on top of his bull. He was there in that room. He said, “I am pleased with you. I have come to give you a boon. You will give birth to a great king, whose name will become famous across the earth.”
The women looked at Shiva and said, “Mahadeva, how is that possible? We are widows. Our husband has left the earth. How will we give birth?”
Shiva said, “Love knows no gender. Make love to each other. One of you will conceive and a child will be born.” Saying this, Shiva vanished from there.
For many days, these two queens had been in each other’s company. They had developed a soft corner for each other. By Shiva’s grace, that affection turned into passion and the two queens made love to each other. After a few days, one of the queens became pregnant. The other queen took care of the pregnant queen. When time came, the queen gave birth. Instead of a child, the queen had given birth to a lump of flesh. They looked closely, they could make out the body features – eyes, nose etc., but unfortunately this child of theirs, had no bones. How will this child live? What kind of a life will the child have? No, this was not fair. What kind of a boon had Shiva given? They were better off not having a child. They decided to abandon the child, by drowning it in river Sarayu. What would people say? So, they decided to do it quietly. They arranged for a basket, and kept the child in it. When it was nearly dawn, they would immerse the child, with the basket, in river Sarayu. When they were planning this, rishi Vasistha came to them. The rishi, while meditating, had come to know what was happening. He said to the queens, “I know what you are planning to do. I will not stop you. Instead of taking the child in a basket, take it your hands. Place it on the steps, which lead to the river. Someone will come across the child and probably take it with them.”
The queens did that. It was nearly dawn when they took the child and placed it on the steps. They then went back to the palace, with a heavy heart. As it was destined, that day, at that time, Rishi Ashtavakra was going to Sarayu to have a bath. The Rishi had got his name as his body was bent in eight places. He spotted the lump of flesh. He got angry and shouted, “Who are you? The world knows my body is bent in eight places. Here you are, trying to mock me. I curse you. If you are trying to mock me, may you burn this instant. On the contrary, if you are naturally this way, then I bless. Grow up to be someone more handsome than Kama himself.” Saying this, the rishi closed his eyes. As soon as he realized who this child was, this was none other than the son of king Dilip, who was destined to bring Ganga down to earth. He gently picked up the child. As soon as he touched it, the child turned into a beautiful male baby. The rishi sent a messenger to the palace to send for the queens. When they came, the rishi blessed the queens and handed over the child to them. Happy to have their child, the queens took leave of the rishi and went home. As this child had been born of the union of two women (bhaaga), the child was named Bhagiratha.
Analysis
There are two tales here – the birth of Ganga and the birth of Bhagiratha.
The Origin of Ganga
- In this version, Ganga is born from Narayana, triggered by Shiva’s singing. This is like the ultimate reality (Brahman) manifesting into physical form (Ganga) through the union of Bhakti (devotion) and Nada (sacred sound). This tale tells why Ganga is also known as Narayani.
Character Analysis: Dilip and Sagara
Why would a king leave his wives and kingdom?
Dilip was facing a crisis. In the lineage, failing to produce an heir was considered a failure. Not only did he not have an heir, but people had started calling him names. So, his leaving was not really going off and abandoning everything. He went off, with an intention to pray for an heir and also for Ganga.
Sagara, in his version of the Ramayana, abandons the Sacrifice because the fruit of the sacrifice had become meaningless for him. His sons were no longer with him. A sacrifice performed in mourning would become void.
Comparison with Valmiki Ramayana
This version is drastically different from Valmiki’s Sanskrit version:
| Feature | Valmiki Ramayana | Krittibasi Ramayana (This Text) |
|---|---|---|
| Birth of Ganga | Ganga is the daughter of Himavan and Mena. | Ganga is born from Vishnu (Narayana). |
| Birth of Bhagiratha | Born normally to Dilip and his wife. | Born of two widows (queens) through Shiva’s boon. |
| The "Boneless" Child | No such mention. | The child is born as a lump of flesh without bones. |
| Ashtavakra’s Role | Not involved in Bhagiratha’s birth. | He heals the child and gives him a human form. |
Correlations & Parallels in Other Scriptures
The Birth from Two Mothers
- This tale is not unique to the Ramayana of Krittibas. Similar versions can be found in some Puranas. Padma Purana also says that Bhagiratha was born from two mothers.
The Origin of Ganga
- Text: There is a similar tale told in Brahma Vaivarta Purana, except there Ganga is born from Krishna. As per Bhagavata Purana, Ganga comes from the water used by Brahma to wash the feet of Vishnu and gets the name Vishnupadi.
The birth of Bhagiratha here is unique and I will try and share a separate post on that soon.
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