When a full year had passed, the revered Lord of all beings—Umāpati, Paśupati, the great Shiva—addressed King Bhagiratha. “O best of men,” Shiva said, “I am pleased with you. I shall grant your desire. I will bear the daughter of the mountain-king, Himavat, upon my head.” At that moment, the eldest daughter of Himavat—Ganga, honored by all the worlds—assumed a vast and formidable form, her speed and force impossible to restrain. From the heavens, O Rama, the celestial Ganga descended, landing with tremendous power upon the head of Shiva. This mighty goddess, difficult to contain, paused to consider her course. As she surged downward, she entered the netherworld, seizing Shiva and her own current in her flow. Sensing her pride and arrogance, the blessed Lord Hara, Shiva, grew angry. The three-eyed one resolved to conceal her within himself, and so the sacred river fell upon Rudra’s holy head. In the deep cavern of Shiva’s matted locks, which seemed as vast and impenetrable as the Himalayas themselves, Ganga struggled but could not find a way to reach the earth. Trapped within the tangled mass of Shiva’s hair, the goddess wandered there for many years. It was then, O Rama, that one performing supreme austerity—King Bhagiratha—saw her. Pleased by his devotion, Shiva released Ganga, directing her toward the sacred lake Bindusaras. As she was freed, her waters split into seven streams. Three of these streams—Hladini, Pāvani, and Nalinī—flowed eastward, carrying Shiva’s blessing. The other three—Suchakshu, Sita, and the great Sindhu—turned westward. The seventh and main stream followed behind Bhagiratha’s chariot, as the royal sage mounted his divine vehicle. Thus, the mighty Ganga flowed ahead, and Bhagiratha followed her, guiding her descent from the heavens, from Shiva’s head, down to the earth. As her waters thundered forth, accompanied by a tumultuous sound, multitudes of fish, turtles, and dolphins tumbled within her current. Wherever her waters fell, the earth shone with new radiance. Hosts of divine sages, Gandharvas, Yakshas, and Siddhas gathered to witness this wondrous event. They watched as Ganga poured down from the sky to the earth, surrounded by celestial palaces shaped like cities, with horses and noble elephants among them. The gods themselves moved about in boats, marveling at the supreme descent of Ganga into the world. Eager to witness this miracle, the hosts of gods—immeasurably powerful—assembled, their ornaments glittering as they moved through the sky. The heavens were filled with clouds and shone as brightly as a hundred suns, while dolphins, serpents, and restless fish danced in the waters. The sky was streaked with lightning-like flashes, as pale, surging waters spread in thousands of streams. Like flocks of swans in autumn clouds, the river moved at times swiftly, at times crookedly, and at times she broadened her course. In some places, Ganga surged upward; in others, she moved gently and slowly, her waters striking against themselves. Again and again, the river rose and fell, cascading from Shiva’s head down to the waiting earth. Wherever her pure and radiant water touched the ground, the sages and Gandharvas dwelling there declared it sacred. Those who had fallen from the heavens to earth by a curse performed ablutions in the holy water; their impurities were washed away, and they were filled with auspiciousness. Freed from their sins, they rose up to the sky once more and regained their celestial worlds. All the people rejoiced, delighted by the radiant water of Ganga. Bathing in her sacred stream, they became purified. Bhagiratha, the royal sage, mounted his divine chariot and led the way, with Ganga following behind him. All the gods, sages, Daityas, Dānavas, and Rākṣasas, along with the foremost Gandharvas, Yakṣas, Kinnaras, great serpents, and all the Apsarases, joined in the procession behind Bhagiratha’s chariot. All the water-dwellers, pleased, followed Ganga, and wherever King Bhagiratha journeyed, the glorious river went as well. The best of rivers, destroyer of all sins, pressed onward until she reached the sacrificial ground of the sage Jahnu, renowned for his wondrous rites. There, Ganga flooded Jahnu’s sacrificial ground. Perceiving her insolence, Jahnu became angry and, in a marvelous feat, drank up all the water of Ganga. The gods, Gandharvas, and sages were astonished by this act. They honored the great-souled Jahnu and entreated him to accept Ganga as his daughter. Pleased by their supplication, the radiant sage released Ganga from his ears. Thus, Ganga was henceforth known as the daughter of Jahnu—Jāhnavī. Ganga then resumed her course, following Bhagiratha’s chariot, and soon reached the ocean. She entered the netherworld, fulfilling the purpose of Bhagiratha’s great undertaking, as the royal sage carefully guided her. There, Bhagiratha saw his ancestors, reduced to ashes and devoid of consciousness. With the pure and sacred water of Ganga, he washed their ashes. Freed from all sin, his ancestors were purified and ascended to heaven, O Rama, best of the Raghu line.