O wise one, know that the mighty sons of King Sagara were consumed by the immeasurable power of the sage Kapila. Because of this, it would not be proper for you to offer them ordinary water as an ancestral rite. Instead, you must seek out the sacred Gaṅgā, eldest daughter of Himavat. In her purifying waters, you should perform the water-rite for your ancestors, for only she has the power to cleanse their souls. Gaṅgā, purifier of the worlds, will flow over the ashes of those sixty thousand sons, who now lie as mere heaps of ash. When these ashes are moistened by the touch of beloved Gaṅgā, they will be delivered and attain the heavenly realm. Therefore, O fortunate one, gather the sacrificial horse and complete the ancestral sacrifice, as is your duty. Hearing these words from Suparṇa, the radiant and powerful Aṃśumān quickly took up the horse and returned to the great ascetic. He approached the consecrated King Sagara and recounted all that had transpired, including the message from Suparṇa. Upon hearing these dreadful tidings, King Sagara completed the sacrifice with all the proper rites and procedures. Yet, though he had fulfilled his duty, the illustrious king found no way to bring down the Gaṅgā to earth for the deliverance of his sons. Unable to resolve this matter, the great king ruled for thirty thousand years before departing for heaven in due course of time. After Sagara’s passing, the people chose Aṃśumān, supremely righteous, as their king. This Aṃśumān was exceedingly great, and his renowned son was the illustrious Dilīpa. Entrusting the kingdom to Dilīpa, Aṃśumān retired to the beautiful peaks of the Himalaya and performed severe austerities. For thirty-two thousand years, he dwelled in the forest of ascetics, and by the merit of his penance, he too ascended to heaven. Dilīpa, endowed with great energy, learned of his ancestors’ destruction and was overwhelmed with grief, unable to find a solution. He pondered deeply: “How might the descent of Gaṅgā be accomplished? How can I perform the funeral rites for them? How might I deliver my ancestors from their fate?” Absorbed in these thoughts, and ever devoted to righteousness, Dilīpa was blessed with a son named Bhagīratha, supremely virtuous. Dilīpa, of great splendor, performed many sacrifices and ruled the kingdom for thirty thousand years. Yet, like his forebears, he could not resolve the question of their deliverance. In time, overtaken by disease, Dilīpa met his end and, by his own accumulated merit, reached the world of Indra after anointing his son Bhagīratha as king. Bhagīratha, the royal sage, was a great king, though he had no offspring and longed for progeny and to fulfill his duty to his ancestors. Entrusting the kingdom to his ministers, he resolved to bring down the Gaṅgā and undertook severe austerities at Gokarna. With arms raised, practicing the fivefold penance, subsisting on food only once a month, and having mastered his senses, he stood in terrible penance for a thousand years. When the great-souled king’s austerities were complete, the blessed Lord Brahmā, ruler of all beings, appeared to him, greatly pleased. Brahmā spoke: “O King Bhagīratha, I am pleased with you. By your well-performed austerity, ask for a boon, steadfast one.” Standing with joined palms, radiant Bhagīratha replied, “If you are pleased with me, O Lord, and if my austerity has borne fruit, let all the sons of Sagara receive water from me. May all those great souls, whose ashes are moistened by the waters of Gaṅgā, attain the highest heaven, along with their ancestors. I ask this for the sake of my lineage, so that our race does not perish; let this supreme boon be granted to the line of Ikshvaku.” The Grandsire of all worlds replied with auspicious words: “Great indeed is your desire, O Bhagiratha. So let it be. Welfare be upon you, enhancer of the Ikshvaku line. Yet know this: Gaṅgā, eldest daughter of the Himalaya, must be sustained. The earth cannot endure her descent. Only the trident-bearing Hara, Shiva himself, is fit to bear her.” Having thus spoken to the king and to Gaṅgā, the creator of the worlds departed to heaven with all the gods and hosts of Maruts. Thereafter, Bhagīratha pressed his thumb upon the earth and performed worship for a year. When the year was complete, the revered Lord Shiva, Umāpati, Paśupati, appeared and spoke: “I am pleased with you, best of men. I shall do what pleases you. I will bear the daughter of the mountain-king upon my head.” Then, the eldest daughter of Himavat, honored by all the worlds, assumed a vast and mighty form, her speed and strength beyond all endurance, preparing to descend to earth.