When the Lord of the gods had departed, Rāma, Bhagiratha pressed his thumb upon the earth and devoted himself to worship for a full year. At the end of that year, the revered Lord of all beings—Umāpati, Paśupati, Shiva himself—appeared before the king and spoke kindly: “I am pleased with you, best of men. I will grant your desire. I shall bear the daughter of the mountain-king upon my head.” Then, the eldest daughter of Himavat, honored throughout all the worlds, assumed a vast and powerful form, her speed and might impossible to restrain. From the sky, O Rāma, the river goddess Gaṅgā descended with tremendous force and landed upon Shiva, coming to rest upon his sacred head. Gaṅgā, difficult to control, considered her course, and in her pride, she swept toward the netherworld, seizing both the stream and Shiva himself. Sensing her arrogance, the blessed Lord Hara grew angry. Determined to humble her, the three-eyed one resolved to conceal Gaṅgā. The sacred river fell upon the holy head of Rudra, but in the cavern of Shiva’s matted locks—vast as the Himalaya itself—she struggled in vain, unable to reach the earth. Trapped in the tangled mass of his hair, the goddess wandered there for many years, unable to find an exit. In time, one performing supreme austerity beheld her and was greatly pleased by her presence, O delight of the Raghu lineage. Then, Lord Hara released Gaṅgā, directing her toward the Bindusaras lake. As she was set free, the river divided into seven streams. Three auspicious waters—Hladinī, Pāvani, and Nalinī—flowed eastward from Shiva. The other three—Suchakshu, Sita, and the mighty Sindhu—turned toward the west. The seventh stream, radiant and pure, followed behind the chariot of Bhagiratha, the royal sage who mounted his divine vehicle. The mighty Gaṅgā surged ahead, and Bhagiratha followed her as she descended from the heavens, from Shiva’s head, down to the earth. The river flowed with a fierce and thunderous sound, teeming with crowds of fish, turtles, and dolphins. As the waters crashed and landed, the earth shone with a new brilliance. Divine sages, Gandharvas, Yakshas, and Siddhas gathered to witness this wondrous descent. From the sky, they watched as Gaṅgā fell to earth, accompanied by flying palaces shaped like cities, horses, and noble elephants. The gods, stationed there, moved about in boats, marveling at the supreme and miraculous descent of Gaṅgā into the world. Eager to witness the event, the hosts of gods, immeasurably powerful, gathered together, their ornaments shining brightly as they flew. The sky, filled with clouds, gleamed like a hundred suns, alive with dolphins, serpents, and restless fish. It was scattered with lightning, the pale, surging waters spreading in thousands of streams. The heavens were covered like autumn clouds with flocks of swans. Sometimes the river rushed swiftly, sometimes it twisted and turned, sometimes it spread wide and broad. In some places it surged upward, in others it flowed slowly and gently; sometimes the waters crashed against themselves. Again and again, the river would leap upward, only to fall back to the earth, the sacred water cascading from Śaṅkara’s head to the ground below. That water, pure and cleansed of all impurity, shone brilliantly. The sages and Gandharvas dwelling on earth touched the water that had fallen from Bhava’s body, declaring it sacred. Those who had been cast down from heaven to earth by a curse bathed in those holy waters, and, cleansed of their sins, became blessed and auspicious. Rising up once more into the sky, they regained their celestial worlds, and the people rejoiced, delighted by the radiant, purifying water. Having bathed in the Gaṅgā, all were purified. Bhagiratha, the royal sage, mounted his divine chariot, and the great king led the way with Gaṅgā following behind him. All the gods, sages, Daityas, Dānavas, and Rākṣasas, along with the foremost Gandharvas, Yakṣas, Kinnaras, great serpents, and all the Apsarases, O Rāma, followed Bhagiratha’s chariot in a grand procession. All the dwellers of the water, pleased and joyful, followed Gaṅgā wherever King Bhagiratha went; there the glorious Gaṅgā too would go. The best of rivers, destroyer of all sins, proceeded until she reached the sacrificial ground of Jahnu, the wondrous performer of rites. There, Gaṅgā flooded the sacred ground of that great-souled sage. Perceiving her insolence, Jahnu became angry and, in a remarkable feat, drank up all the water of Gaṅgā. The gods, Gandharvas, and sages were astonished. They honored the great-souled Jahnu and entreated him to accept Gaṅgā as his daughter. Pleased by their prayers, the radiant sage released her from his ears; thus, Gaṅgā became known as the daughter of Jahnu, and is also called Jāhnavī. Once again, Gaṅgā followed behind Bhagiratha’s chariot, and that foremost of rivers at last reached the ocean. She entered the netherworld, fulfilling the purpose of Bhagiratha’s great deed, as the royal sage carefully led Gaṅgā onward, completing his sacred mission.