After the sacred rites had been completed, Aṃśumat approached King Sagara, who had been consecrated for the great sacrifice. He reported in detail all that had transpired, including the words spoken by Suparṇa, the celestial bird. Upon hearing these dreadful tidings from Aṃśumat, King Sagara, though shaken, dutifully finished the sacrifice according to the prescribed rituals and procedures. Having accomplished the desired sacrifice, the illustrious king returned to his city. Yet, despite his efforts, he found no resolution regarding the descent of the holy Ganga, whose waters alone could deliver his lost sons. Unable to achieve this deliverance, the great king ruled for thirty thousand years, but eventually, in the fullness of time, departed for heaven. With Sagara’s passing, the people chose Aṃśumān, renowned for his righteousness, as their king. Aṃśumān was a sovereign of great virtue, and his son, Dilīpa, was equally illustrious. Entrusting the kingdom to Dilīpa, Aṃśumān withdrew to the beautiful peak of the Himalayas and undertook severe austerities. Dwelling among ascetics in the forest for thirty-two thousand years, he attained heaven, enriched by his penance. Dilīpa, endowed with great energy, learned of the destruction of his ancestors and was overcome with grief, unable to find a way to deliver them. He pondered deeply: How might the descent of Ganga be accomplished? How could the funeral rites with water be performed for his forebears? How might he free them from their fate? While Dilīpa was absorbed in these thoughts, ever self-controlled and devoted to righteousness, a son was born to him, Bhagīratha, supremely virtuous. Dilīpa, of great splendor, performed many sacrifices and ruled the kingdom for thirty thousand years. Yet, despite his efforts, he could not resolve the deliverance of his ancestors. In time, disease overtook him, and he met his end, ascending to Indra’s world by the merit he had accumulated, after anointing his son Bhagīratha as king. Bhagīratha, the royal sage and righteous one, though a great king, had no offspring and longed for both progeny and subjects. Entrusting the kingdom to his ministers, he became intent upon bringing down the Ganga. He journeyed to Gokarna and undertook long austerities. With arms raised, practicing the fivefold austerity, subsisting on food only once a month, and mastering his senses, Bhagīratha stood in terrible penance for a thousand years. At last, when Bhagīratha’s arduous austerities had passed, the blessed Lord Brahmā, master and ruler of all beings, was greatly pleased. Brahmā addressed Bhagīratha: “O King, I am pleased with you. By your well-performed austerity, choose a boon.” Standing with joined palms, radiant Bhagīratha humbly replied: “If the Blessed One is pleased with me, if my austerity has borne fruit, may all the sons of Sagara receive water from me. May their ashes, moistened by the waters of Ganga, grant them 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 me in the line of Ikshvaku.” The Grandsire of all worlds spoke auspicious and sweet words: “Great indeed is your desire, O Bhagiratha. Let it be so! Welfare be upon you, enhancer of the Ikshvaku line. Yet know this: the eldest daughter of Himalaya, Ganga, must be sustained. Only Hara, Shiva, can bear her descent. The earth cannot endure the force of Ganga; I see no one but the trident-bearer fit to sustain her.” Having spoken thus to Bhagīratha and addressed Ganga, Brahmā departed to heaven with all the gods and the hosts of Maruts. After Brahmā’s departure, Bhagīratha pressed his thumb upon the earth and performed worship for a year. When the year was complete, the revered Lord of all beings, Umāpati, Paśupati—Shiva himself—spoke to the king: “I am pleased with you, best of men. I will do what pleases you. I shall bear the daughter of the mountain-king upon my head.” Then Ganga, eldest daughter of Himavat and honored by all the worlds, assumed a vast and immense form, with an unbearable speed. From the sky, Ganga descended, landing upon Shiva, upon his holy head. The goddess, difficult to restrain, considered her course. In her arrogance, she sought to sweep Shiva and his stream into the netherworld. Recognizing this, the blessed Lord Hara became angry. The three-eyed one resolved to conceal her. The sacred river fell upon the holy head of Rudra and became trapped in the cavern of Shiva’s matted locks, which resembled the Himalaya itself. Ganga strove but could not find a way to reach the earth. She wandered within the mass of matted hair for many years, unable to escape. Thus, the story of the descent of Ganga unfolds, with the perseverance of Bhagīratha, the intervention of the gods, and the mighty power of Shiva, as the deliverance of Sagara’s sons awaits the fulfillment of this sacred quest.