Bhagiratha (Sanskrit: भगीरथ, Bhagīratha) is a legendary king of the Ikshvaku dynasty in Hindu literature. He is best known for his legend of bringing the sacred river Ganges, personified as the Hindu river goddess Ganga, from heaven upon the earth, by performing a penance.[1]
King Sagara, the great-grandfather of Bhagiratha, once performed the ashvamedha sacrifice, but the sacrificial horse was stolen by Indra. The deity had the animal sequestered in Patala, where Sage Kapila was performing a penance. The 60,000 sons of Sagara discovered the horse in Patala, whereupon they disturbed Kapila with their hoarse noises. Infuriated, the 60,000 sons of Sagara were reduced to ash by the fiery eyes of the sage. The responsibility of performing the funeral rites of these sons passed down from generation to generation, until it was acquired by Bhagiratha, who upon his ascension to the throne of Ayodhya, went to practice austerities in the Himalayas, to invoke the goddess Ganga. Ganga told Bhagiratha that were she to descend from Svarga to the earth, the force of her fall would be difficult to sustain. She asked him to obtain the favour of the matted-haired, blue-throated deity Shiva, as no one except him would be able to sustain her. Heeding her words, the king then performed a penance that lasted for a millennium for Shiva at Kailasa, and sought his cooperation in allowing Ganga to flow through his hair. Shiva granted him the boon, and stood in position, even as the torrent of Ganga's stream rushed upon his hair. Ganga flowed along the matted hair of Shiva for a thousand years. Bhagiratha performed another penance to please Shiva, until the deity shook his hair and allowed a single drop to descend upon the Indo-Gangetic plain, which became the Ganges. For Bhagiratha, the river flowed along the plain to Patala, and performed the funeral rites of Sagara’s sons.[2] This episode is referred to as Bhagīrathaprayatnam, literally meaning, "Bhagiratha's labour".[3][4]
To commemorate his efforts, the head stream of the river is called Bhagirathi by locals, till it meets the Alaknanda river at Devprayag.
While flowing towards Patala, the Ganga flooded the ashrama of Sage Jahnu. To punish the haughtiness of the goddess, the sage swallowed the river. It was with the insistent entreaties of Bhagiratha that the sage consented to push the river out through his ear, which offered the goddess the epithet Jahnavi.[5][6][7]
Reign
After completing the funeral rites of his ancestors, Bhagiratha governs once more as king, and his people were wealthy and prosperous under his reign.[8]
The Mahabharata states that the king had a great efficacy of gifting cows, offering hundreds of thousands of cows and their calves to the sage Kohala.[9]
He marries his famous daughter, Haṃsī, to the sage Kautsa, before departing the earth.[10]
Literature
Narada Purana
In the Narada Purana, King Bhagiratha appeases Yama, and holds a discussion with him regarding the nature of righteousness. Yama offers the king various modes of being righteous, including offering employment and donating wealth to Brahmins, building Vishnu and Shiva temples, rituals that should be performed for the aforementioned two deities, donating food to the hungry, and the acquisition of punya. Yama goes on to describe the nature of sin, as well as the various hells that exist. The deity instructs the king to worship Vishnu, who is the equivalent of Shiva, and informs him of his future of freeing his ancestors from Naraka by causing the descent of the Ganga.[11]
Bengali literature
In most accounts of Bhagiratha, he is born to his father Dilipa and his unnamed mother in an unremarkable fashion.[citation needed] However, a number of Bengali accounts tell how Dilipa dies without begetting an heir.[citation needed] This story may first be attested in the Bengali-script recension of the Sanskrit Padma Purana; it recurs in the influential, probably fifteenth-century CE Bengali Krittivasi Ramayan, and thereafter in other texts from Bengal such as Bhavananda's Harivansha, Mukundarama Chakravartin's Kavikankanachandi, and the sixteenth-century Ramayana by Adbhutacharya.
Dilipa's lack of an heir troubles the gods, because it has been prophesied that Vishnu will be born to Dilipa's line, and this prophecy cannot come true unless Dilipa has a child. Therefore, through the advice of a sage or god, two of Dilipa's widows have sex with one another and in this way one gets pregnant and gives birth to Bhagiratha. However, the baby is deformed (in the Padma Purana version, for example he is boneless, while in the Krittivasi Ramayan he is merely a lump of flesh) until he encounters the crippled sage Ashtavakra, who transforms him into a beautiful, strong child/youth. The Krittivasi Ramayan even goes on to describe Bhagiratha being bullied at school for having two mothers rather than heterosexual parents. Some of the texts too use the story to provide a folk-etymology for Bhagiratha's name, claiming that it comes from bhaga ('vulva').[12][13][14][15]: 146–60 [16] Since the Krittivasi Ramayan is a 14th century text, it is considered unauthentic by many scholars.
Gallery
A sculpture of Bhagiratha can be seen beneath the spout of almost every dhunge dhara (hiti) or tutedhara (jarun, jahru, jaladroni), two types of drinking fountain found in the old settlements of Nepal. Bhagiratha is pictured sitting, standing or dancing while holding or blowing a conch. A similar figure can be seen below the gargoyles in some temples in India.[17]
Bhagiratha beneath the main spout of Sundhara, Kathmandu, Nepal
Bhagiratha on a jarun of Nag Pokhari, Bhaktapur, Nepal
Bhagiratha beneath the stone spout of Lamugah Hiti, Bhaktapur, Nepal
Bhagiratha on a jarun at Taumadhi Square, Bhaktapur, Nepal
Bhagiratha beneath a gargoyle at the Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur, India
Shiva Gangadhara, Parvati, Bhagiratha (left) at the Ravana Phadi Cave, Aihole, India
^www.wisdomlib.org (2019-01-28). "Story of Bhagīratha". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
^Thomas, Paul (1955). Epics, Myths and Legends of India: A Comprehensive Survey of the Sacred Lore of the Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. D.B. Taraporevala. p. 102.
^Mani, Vettam (2015-01-01). Puranic Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 114. ISBN978-81-208-0597-2.
^Mankodi, Kirit (1973) "Gaṅgā Tripathagā"Artibus Asiae 35(1/2): pp. 139-144, p. 140
^"The Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana Parva: Tirtha-yatra Parva: Section CVIII". www.sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
^www.wisdomlib.org (2019-01-28). "Story of Jahnu". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
^www.wisdomlib.org (2020-09-21). "King Bhagiratha completes the funeral rites for his ancestors [Chapter 44]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
^Mani, Vettam (2015-01-01). Puranic Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 115. ISBN978-81-208-0597-2.
^www.wisdomlib.org (2013-05-25). "Bhagiratha and the Ganga". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
^Ruth Vanita, '"Wedding of Two Souls": Same-Sex Marriage and Hindu Traditions', Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, 20.2 (Fall, 2004), 119-35.
^Ruth Vanita, 'Disability as Opportunity: Sage Ashtavakra Mentors Bhagiratha, the Disabled Child of Two Mothers', in Gandhi's Tiger and Sita's Smile: Essays on Gender, Sexuality and Culture (New Delhi: Yoda, 2005), pp. 236-50; ISBN81-902272-5-4.
^Ruth Vanita, 'Born of Two Vaginas: Love and Reproduction between Co-Wives in Some Medieval Indian Texts', GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, 11 (2005), 547–77, doi:10.1215/10642684-11-4-547.
^Ruth Vanita, Love's Rite: Same-Sex Marriage in India and the West (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005).
^Ruth Vanita, 'Naming Love: The God Kama, the Goddess Ganga, and the Child of Two Women', in The Lesbian Premodern, ed. by Noreen Giffney, Michelle M. Sauer, and Diane Watt (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011), 119-30; ISBN978-1-349-38018-3doi:10.1057/9780230117198.
^Water Conduits in the Kathmandu Valley (2 vols.) by Raimund O.A. Becker-Ritterspach, ISBN9788121506908, Published by Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, India, 1995
bhagiratha, bhageeratha, redirects, here, film, bhageeratha, film, sanskrit, भग, रथ, bhagīratha, legendary, king, ikshvaku, dynasty, hindu, literature, best, known, legend, bringing, sacred, river, ganges, personified, hindu, river, goddess, ganga, from, heave. Bhageeratha redirects here For the film see Bhageeratha film Bhagiratha Sanskrit भग रथ Bhagiratha is a legendary king of the Ikshvaku dynasty in Hindu literature He is best known for his legend of bringing the sacred river Ganges personified as the Hindu river goddess Ganga from heaven upon the earth by performing a penance 1 BhagirathaSculpture of Bhagiratha s penance Descent of the Ganges MahabalipuramTextsRamayana Mahabharata PuranasRegionAyodhyaPersonal informationParentsDilipa father ChildrenSruta son Haṃsi daughter DynastySuryavamsha Representation of Bhagiratha as Ganga descends upon the earth Contents 1 Legend 1 1 Bhagirathaprayatnam 1 2 Reign 2 Literature 2 1 Narada Purana 2 2 Bengali literature 3 Gallery 4 See also 5 References 6 SourcesLegend EditBhagirathaprayatnam Edit King Sagara the great grandfather of Bhagiratha once performed the ashvamedha sacrifice but the sacrificial horse was stolen by Indra The deity had the animal sequestered in Patala where Sage Kapila was performing a penance The 60 000 sons of Sagara discovered the horse in Patala whereupon they disturbed Kapila with their hoarse noises Infuriated the 60 000 sons of Sagara were reduced to ash by the fiery eyes of the sage The responsibility of performing the funeral rites of these sons passed down from generation to generation until it was acquired by Bhagiratha who upon his ascension to the throne of Ayodhya went to practice austerities in the Himalayas to invoke the goddess Ganga Ganga told Bhagiratha that were she to descend from Svarga to the earth the force of her fall would be difficult to sustain She asked him to obtain the favour of the matted haired blue throated deity Shiva as no one except him would be able to sustain her Heeding her words the king then performed a penance that lasted for a millennium for Shiva at Kailasa and sought his cooperation in allowing Ganga to flow through his hair Shiva granted him the boon and stood in position even as the torrent of Ganga s stream rushed upon his hair Ganga flowed along the matted hair of Shiva for a thousand years Bhagiratha performed another penance to please Shiva until the deity shook his hair and allowed a single drop to descend upon the Indo Gangetic plain which became the Ganges For Bhagiratha the river flowed along the plain to Patala and performed the funeral rites of Sagara s sons 2 This episode is referred to as Bhagirathaprayatnam literally meaning Bhagiratha s labour 3 4 To commemorate his efforts the head stream of the river is called Bhagirathi by locals till it meets the Alaknanda river at Devprayag While flowing towards Patala the Ganga flooded the ashrama of Sage Jahnu To punish the haughtiness of the goddess the sage swallowed the river It was with the insistent entreaties of Bhagiratha that the sage consented to push the river out through his ear which offered the goddess the epithet Jahnavi 5 6 7 Reign Edit After completing the funeral rites of his ancestors Bhagiratha governs once more as king and his people were wealthy and prosperous under his reign 8 The Mahabharata states that the king had a great efficacy of gifting cows offering hundreds of thousands of cows and their calves to the sage Kohala 9 He marries his famous daughter Haṃsi to the sage Kautsa before departing the earth 10 Literature EditNarada Purana Edit In the Narada Purana King Bhagiratha appeases Yama and holds a discussion with him regarding the nature of righteousness Yama offers the king various modes of being righteous including offering employment and donating wealth to Brahmins building Vishnu and Shiva temples rituals that should be performed for the aforementioned two deities donating food to the hungry and the acquisition of punya Yama goes on to describe the nature of sin as well as the various hells that exist The deity instructs the king to worship Vishnu who is the equivalent of Shiva and informs him of his future of freeing his ancestors from Naraka by causing the descent of the Ganga 11 Bengali literature Edit In most accounts of Bhagiratha he is born to his father Dilipa and his unnamed mother in an unremarkable fashion citation needed However a number of Bengali accounts tell how Dilipa dies without begetting an heir citation needed This story may first be attested in the Bengali script recension of the Sanskrit Padma Purana it recurs in the influential probably fifteenth century CE Bengali Krittivasi Ramayan and thereafter in other texts from Bengal such as Bhavananda s Harivansha Mukundarama Chakravartin s Kavikankanachandi and the sixteenth century Ramayana by Adbhutacharya Dilipa s lack of an heir troubles the gods because it has been prophesied that Vishnu will be born to Dilipa s line and this prophecy cannot come true unless Dilipa has a child Therefore through the advice of a sage or god two of Dilipa s widows have sex with one another and in this way one gets pregnant and gives birth to Bhagiratha However the baby is deformed in the Padma Purana version for example he is boneless while in the Krittivasi Ramayan he is merely a lump of flesh until he encounters the crippled sage Ashtavakra who transforms him into a beautiful strong child youth The Krittivasi Ramayan even goes on to describe Bhagiratha being bullied at school for having two mothers rather than heterosexual parents Some of the texts too use the story to provide a folk etymology for Bhagiratha s name claiming that it comes from bhaga vulva 12 13 14 15 146 60 16 Since the Krittivasi Ramayan is a 14th century text it is considered unauthentic by many scholars Gallery EditA sculpture of Bhagiratha can be seen beneath the spout of almost every dhunge dhara hiti or tutedhara jarun jahru jaladroni two types of drinking fountain found in the old settlements of Nepal Bhagiratha is pictured sitting standing or dancing while holding or blowing a conch A similar figure can be seen below the gargoyles in some temples in India 17 Bhagiratha beneath the main spout of Sundhara Kathmandu Nepal Bhagiratha on a jarun of Nag Pokhari Bhaktapur Nepal Bhagiratha beneath the stone spout of Lamugah Hiti Bhaktapur Nepal Bhagiratha on a jarun at Taumadhi Square Bhaktapur Nepal Bhagiratha beneath a gargoyle at the Brihadisvara Temple Thanjavur India Shiva Gangadhara Parvati Bhagiratha left at the Ravana Phadi Cave Aihole India Bhageeratha statue in Hyderabad IndiaSee also Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bhagiratha Kapila Ganga SagaraReferences Edit www wisdomlib org 2012 06 29 Bhagiratha Bhagiratha 23 definitions www wisdomlib org Retrieved 2022 10 22 www wisdomlib org 2019 01 28 Story of Bhagiratha www wisdomlib org Retrieved 2022 10 22 Thomas Paul 1955 Epics Myths and Legends of India A Comprehensive Survey of the Sacred Lore of the Hindus Buddhists and Jains D B Taraporevala p 102 Mani Vettam 2015 01 01 Puranic Encyclopedia A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature Motilal Banarsidass p 114 ISBN 978 81 208 0597 2 Mankodi Kirit 1973 Gaṅga Tripathaga Artibus Asiae 35 1 2 pp 139 144 p 140 The Mahabharata Book 3 Vana Parva Tirtha yatra Parva Section CVIII www sacred texts com Retrieved 2019 04 14 www wisdomlib org 2019 01 28 Story of Jahnu www wisdomlib org Retrieved 2022 10 22 www wisdomlib org 2020 09 21 King Bhagiratha completes the funeral rites for his ancestors Chapter 44 www wisdomlib org Retrieved 2022 10 22 The Mahabharata Bharata Press 1893 p 621 Mani Vettam 2015 01 01 Puranic Encyclopedia A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature Motilal Banarsidass p 115 ISBN 978 81 208 0597 2 www wisdomlib org 2013 05 25 Bhagiratha and the Ganga www wisdomlib org Retrieved 2022 10 22 Ruth Vanita Wedding of Two Souls Same Sex Marriage and Hindu Traditions Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 20 2 Fall 2004 119 35 Ruth Vanita Disability as Opportunity Sage Ashtavakra Mentors Bhagiratha the Disabled Child of Two Mothers in Gandhi s Tiger and Sita s Smile Essays on Gender Sexuality and Culture New Delhi Yoda 2005 pp 236 50 ISBN 81 902272 5 4 Ruth Vanita Born of Two Vaginas Love and Reproduction between Co Wives in Some Medieval Indian Texts GLQ A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies 11 2005 547 77 doi 10 1215 10642684 11 4 547 Ruth Vanita Love s Rite Same Sex Marriage in India and the West New York Palgrave Macmillan 2005 Ruth Vanita Naming Love The God Kama the Goddess Ganga and the Child of Two Women in The Lesbian Premodern ed by Noreen Giffney Michelle M Sauer and Diane Watt New York Palgrave Macmillan 2011 119 30 ISBN 978 1 349 38018 3 doi 10 1057 9780230117198 Water Conduits in the Kathmandu Valley 2 vols by Raimund O A Becker Ritterspach ISBN 9788121506908 Published by Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt Ltd New Delhi India 1995Sources EditThe Ramayana 2001 by Ramesh Menon http moralstories wordpress com 2006 05 14 hard work can do wonders Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend ISBN 0 500 51088 1 by Anna L Dallapiccola The story of Baghiratha in western edition permanent dead link Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bhagiratha amp oldid 1118917341, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
