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210:. 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
455:
230:, 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
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587:
The story of
Bhagiratha's birth to two women occurs, as far as I know, only in texts produced from the fourteenth century onwards in Bengal. Other manuscripts of the Sanskrit Padma Purana, in the Devanagari script, and other Puranas too relate that Bhagiratha was born in the regular way to his
375:
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
343:
In most accounts of
Bhagiratha, he is born to his father Dilipa and his unnamed mother in an unremarkable fashion. However, a number of Bengali accounts tell how Dilipa dies without begetting an heir. This story may first be attested in the Bengali-script recension of the Sanskrit
502:
331:. 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
272:. 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
490:
261:) is called Sāgara in honour of Bhagiratha's ancestor the King Sagara. Kapila's ashrama is located at Sagar Island and hosts the annual Ganga Sagar Mela and bathing rituals on Makara Sankranti day every year.
257:
where the sage Kapila meditated is identified with the Sāgar Island, at the confluence of the
Bhagirathi stream of the Ganges (flowing by Kolkata and revered as Ganga) and the Bay of Bengal. The sea (
315:, 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
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234:, which became the Ganges. For Bhagiratha, the river flowed along the plain to Patala, and performed the funeral rites of Sagara’s sons. This episode is referred to as
392:
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
438:
424:), two types of drinking fountain found in the old settlements of Nepal. Bhagiratha is pictured sitting, standing or dancing while holding or blowing a
284:
After completing the funeral rites of his ancestors, Bhagiratha governs once more as king, and his people were wealthy and prosperous under his reign.
226:, 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
222:
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
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states that the king had a great efficacy of gifting cows, offering hundreds of thousands of cows and their calves to the sage Kohala.
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temples, rituals that should be performed for the aforementioned two deities, donating food to the hungry, and the acquisition of
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454:
779:
569:
Ruth Vanita (2005). "Disability as
Opportunity Sage Ashtavakra Mentors Bhagiratha, the Disabled Child of Two Mothers".
1355:
865:
Ruth Vanita, 'Disability as
Opportunity: Sage Ashtavakra Mentors Bhagiratha, the Disabled Child of Two Mothers', in
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662:
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647:
Epics, Myths and
Legends of India: A Comprehensive Survey of the Sacred Lore of the Hindus, Buddhists and Jains
207:
645:
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886:
Ruth Vanita, 'Born of Two
Vaginas: Love and Reproduction between Co-Wives in Some Medieval Indian Texts',
926:, ed. by Noreen Giffney, Michelle M. Sauer, and Diane Watt (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011), 119-30;
41:
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father, Dilipa. As is standard in patrilineages, these latter texts do not mention his mother's name.
798:
Puranic
Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature
664:
Puranic Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature
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Ruth Vanita, 'Naming Love: The God Kama, the Goddess Ganga, and the Child of Two Women', in
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He marries his famous daughter, Haṃsī, to the sage Kautsa, before departing the earth.
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Water Conduits in the Kathmandu Valley (2 vols.) by Raimund O.A. Becker-Ritterspach,
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958:, Published by Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, India, 1995
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Dilipa's lack of an heir troubles the gods, because it has been prophesied that
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Bhagiratha beneath a gargoyle at the Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur, India
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Gandhi's Tiger and Sita's Smile: Essays on Gender, Sexuality, and Culture
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Gandhi's Tiger and Sita's Smile: Essays on Gender, Sexuality and Culture
729:"The Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana Parva: Tirtha-yatra Parva: Section CVIII"
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A sculpture of Bhagiratha can be seen beneath the spout of almost every
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Shiva Gangadhara, Parvati, Bhagiratha (left) at the Ravana Phadi Cave,
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214:, went to practice austerities in the Himalayas, to invoke the goddess
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Bhagiratha beneath the stone spout of Lamugah Hiti, Bhaktapur, Nepal
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he is merely a lump of flesh) until he encounters the crippled sage
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To commemorate his efforts, the head stream of the river is called
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149:. He is best known for his legend of bringing the sacred river
850:"Wedding of Two Souls": Same-Sex Marriage and Hindu Traditions
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Representation of Bhagiratha as Ganga descends upon the earth
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Bhagiratha on a jarun at Taumadhi Square, Bhaktapur, Nepal
190:, the great-grandfather of Bhagiratha, once performed the
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Bhagiratha on a jarun of Nag Pokhari, Bhaktapur, Nepal
218:. Ganga told Bhagiratha that were she to descend from
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Love's Rite: Same-Sex Marriage in India and the West
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While flowing towards Patala, the Ganga flooded the
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194:sacrifice, but the sacrificial horse was stolen by
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380:version, for example he is boneless, while in the
19:"Bhageeratha" redirects here. For the film, see
444:Bhagiratha beneath the main spout of Sundhara,
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691:The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M
8:
828:. Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd. p. 24.
238:, literally meaning, "Bhagiratha's labour".
1019:
1005:
997:
198:. The deity had the animal sequestered in
888:GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies
428:. A similar figure can be seen below the
165:upon the earth, by performing a penance.
714:Mankodi, Kirit (1973) "Gaṅgā Tripathagā"
167:
854:Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion
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434:
606:. by Mocktime Publication. p. 10.
25:
913:(New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005).
869:(New Delhi: Yoda, 2005), pp. 236-50;
335:by causing the descent of the Ganga.
7:
801:. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 115.
667:. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 114.
982:Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend
784:. Bharata Press. 1893. p. 621.
620:Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Puranas
40:Sculpture of Bhagiratha's penance,
14:
650:. D.B. Taraporevala. p. 102.
623:. Sarup & Sons. p. 161.
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822:Chaturvedi, B. K. (2015-01-23).
600:Edits, The Divine (2023-04-22).
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617:Parmeshwaranand, Swami (2001).
603:Padma Purana - A Concise Guide
1:
1523:Characters in Hindu mythology
688:Lochtefeld, James G. (2002).
360:, Mukundarama Chakravartin's
245:by locals, till it meets the
141:) is a legendary king of the
102:Śruta (son), Haṃsī (daughter)
856:, 20.2 (Fall, 2004), 119-35.
758:. Shanti Sadan. p. 89.
718:35(1/2): pp. 139-144, p. 140
364:, and the sixteenth-century
795:Mani, Vettam (2015-01-01).
661:Mani, Vettam (2015-01-01).
311:, King Bhagiratha appeases
136:
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18:
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993:) by Anna L. Dallapiccola
896:10.1215/10642684-11-4-547
694:. Rosen. pp. 95–96.
432:in some temples in India.
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33:
1476:Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
755:The Ramayana of Valmiki
422:jarun, jahru, jaladroni
16:King in Hindu tradition
524:Bhageeratha statue in
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939:10.1057/9780230117198
924:The Lesbian Premodern
890:, 11 (2005), 547–77,
644:Thomas, Paul (1955).
171:
153:, personified as the
42:Descent of the Ganges
733:www.sacred-texts.com
368:by Adbhutacharya.
236:Bhagīrathaprayatnam
232:Indo-Gangetic plain
182:Bhagirathaprayatnam
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382:Krittivasi Ramayan
353:Krittivasi Ramayan
339:Bengali literature
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21:Bhageeratha (film)
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932:978-1-349-38018-3
835:978-81-288-2812-6
808:978-81-208-0597-2
765:978-0-85424-048-7
701:978-0-8239-3179-8
674:978-81-208-0597-2
630:978-81-7625-226-3
362:Kavikankanachandi
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