स तु राजा महेष्वासश्चक्रवर्ती महारथः। बभूव सर्वलोकस् मनोनयननन्दनः
That king, mighty-armed, wielder of the great bow, universal sovereign, became a delight to the minds and eyes of all people.
स शुश्राव महाबाहुः कपिलेन महात्मना। पितॄणआं निधनं घोरमप्राप्तिं त्रिदिवस्य च
That mighty-armed one heard from the great-souled Kapila of the terrible destruction of his ancestors and their failure to attain heaven.
स राज्यं सचिवे न्यस्य हृदयेन विदूयता। जगाम हिमवत्पार्श्वं तपस्तप्तुं नरेश्वरः
He entrusted the kingdom to his ministers, his heart afflicted, and the lord of men went to the side of the Himalayas to perform austerities.
आरिराधयिषुर्गङ्गां तपसा दग्धकिल्विषः। सोऽपश्यत नर्रेष्ठ हिमवन्तं नगोत्तमम्
Desiring to propitiate Ganga by asceticism, his sins consumed, he, best of men, beheld the Himalaya, the foremost of mountains.
शृङ्गैर्बहुविधाकारैर्धातुमद्भिरलंकृतम्। पवनालम्बिभिर्मेघैः परिपिक्तं समन्ततः
Adorned with peaks of many shapes, rich in minerals, and enveloped on all sides by clouds clinging to the wind,
नदीकुञ्जनितम्बैश्च सोदकैरुपशोभितम्। गुहाकन्दरसंलीनसिंहव्याघ्रनिषेवितम्
Graced by the banks of rivers and groves, with waters shining, and frequented by lions and tigers hidden in caves and caverns,
शकुनैश्च विचित्राङ्गैः कूजद्भिर्विविधा गिरः। भृङ्गराजैस्तथा हंसैर्दात्यूहैर्जलकुक्कुटैः
With birds of varied forms singing diverse songs—king crows, swans, waterfowl, and water-cocks,
मयूरैः शतपत्रैश्च जीवंजीवककोकिलैः। चकोरैरसितापाङ्गैस्तथा पुत्रप्रियैरपि
Peacocks with a hundred eyes, jivanjivaka cuckoos, chakoras with dark eyes, and birds fond of their young,
जलस्थानेषु रम्येषु पद्मिनीभिश्च संकुलम्। सारसानां च मधुरैर्व्याहृतैः समलंकृतम्
Crowded with lotuses in delightful waters, and adorned by the sweet calls of cranes,
किन्नरैरप्सरोभिश्च निषेवितशिलातलम्। दिग्वारणविषाणाग्रैः समन्ताद्धृष्टपादपम्
Its rocky plateaus frequented by kinnaras and apsaras, and trees struck all around by the tusks of guardian elephants of the quarters,
विद्याधरानुचरितं नानारत्नसमाकुलम्। विषोल्वणैर्भुजङ्गैश्च दीप्ताजिह्वैर्निषेवितम्
Haunted by vidyadharas, filled with various gems, and inhabited by venomous serpents with blazing tongues,
क्वचित्कनकसंकाशं क्वचिद्रजतसंनिभम्। क्वचिदञ्जनपुञ्जाभं हिमवनतमुपागमत्
In some places shining like gold, in others resembling silver, and elsewhere dark as collyrium—thus he approached the Himalayan mountain.
स तु तत्रनरश्रेष्ठस्तपो घोरं समाश्रितः। फलमूलाम्बुसंभक्षः सहस्रपरिवत्सरान्
There, the best of men undertook severe austerities, subsisting on fruits, roots, and water, for a thousand years.
संवत्सरसहस्रे तु गते दिव्ये महानदी। दर्शयामास तं गङ्गा तदा मूर्तिमती स्वयम्
When a thousand divine years had passed, the great river Ganga herself appeared to him in embodied form.
किमिच्छसि महाराज म्तः किंच ददानि ते। तद्ब्रवीहि नरश्रेष्ठ करिष्यामि वचस्तव
"What do you desire, great king? What shall I grant you? Speak, best of men, I will fulfill your word."
एवमुक्तः प्रत्युवाच राजा हैमवतीं नदीम्। `तदा भगीरथो राजन्प्रणिपत्य कृताञ्जलिः'। पितामहा मे वरदे कपिलेन महानदि
Thus addressed, the king replied to the golden river: 'Then Bhagiratha, O king, with joined palms, bowed and said: O great river, my ancestors, the sons of Sagara, were destroyed by Kapila.'
अन्वेषमाणास्तुरगं नीता वैवस्वतक्षयम्। षष्टिस्तानि सहस्राणि सागराणां महात्मनाम्
While searching for the horse, sixty thousand of the great-souled sons of Sagara were led to destruction by Vaivasvata.
कपिलं देवमासाद्य क्षणेन निधनं गताः। तेषामेवं विनष्टानां स्वर्गे वासो न विद्यते
Having encountered the god Kapila, they perished in an instant; for those thus destroyed, there is no dwelling in heaven.
यावत्तानि शरीराणि त्वं जलैर्नाभिषिञ्चसि। तावत्तेषां गतिर्नास्ति सागराणां महानदि
Until you sprinkle their bodies with your waters, O great river, there is no passage for the sons of Sagara.
स्वर्गं नय महाभागे मत्पितॄन्सगरात्मजान्। तेषामर्थेऽभियाचामि त्वामहं वै महानदि
O greatly fortunate one, lead my ancestors, the sons of Sagara, to heaven; for their sake, O great river, I beseech you.
एतच्छ्रुत्वा वचो राज्ञो गङ्गा लोकनमस्कृता। भगीरथमिदं वाक्यं सुप्रीता समभाषत
Hearing these words of the king, Ganga, revered by all worlds, spoke to Bhagiratha with great delight.
करिष्यामि माहाराज वचस्ते नात्र संशयः। वेगं तु मम दुर्धार्यं पतन्त्या गगनाच्च्युतम्
I will do as you ask, O great king; there is no doubt about it. Yet my torrent, falling from the sky, is difficult to restrain.
न शक्तस्त्रिषु लोकेषु कश्चिद्धारयितुं नृप। अन्यत्र विबुधश्रेष्ठान्नीलकण्ठान्महेश्वरात्
No one in the three worlds is able to bear me, O king, except for the foremost of the gods, the blue-throated Maheshvara.
तं तोषय रमहाबाहो तपसा वरदं हरम्। स तु मां प्रच्युतां देवः शिरसा धारयिष्यति
Please the boon-giving Hara, O mighty-armed one, through austerity; that god will bear me upon his head when I descend.
स करिष्यति ते रकामं पितॄणां हितकाम्यया। `तपसाऽऽराधितः शंभुर्भगर्वाँल्लोकभावनः
He will fulfill your desire, wishing for the welfare of your ancestors; Shambhu, creator of the worlds, will be propitiated by your austerity.
एतच्छ्रुत्वा ततो राजन्महाराजो भगीरथः। कैलासं पर्वतं गत्वा तोषयामास शंकरम्
Hearing this, King Bhagiratha went to Mount Kailasa and began to please Shankara.
ततस्तेन समागम्य कालयोगेन केनचित्। `गह्गावतरणं राजन्नयाचत महीपतिः
Then, after meeting him at an appointed time, the king requested the descent of Ganga.
अगृह्णाच्च वरं तस्माद्गङ्गाया धारणे नृप। स्वर्गे वासं समुद्दिश् पितॄणां स नरोत्तमः
He obtained the boon from him for the bearing of Ganga, O king, and for the residence in heaven of his ancestors, that noble one.
एषा देवनदी पुण्या कौशिकी भरतर्षभ। विश्वामित्राश्रमो रम्य एष चात्र प्रकाशते
This is the sacred river of the gods, the Kausiki, O best of Bharatas; here shines the delightful hermitage of Visvamitra.
आश्रमश्चैव पुण्याख्यः काश्यपस्य महात्मनः। ऋश्यशृङ्गः सुतो यस् तपस्वी संयतेन्द्रियः
And here too is the holy hermitage of the great-souled Kasyapa, whose son, Rishyasringa, was an ascetic with controlled senses.