When King Bhagiratha’s great penance moved the heavens, Shiva released the mighty Ganga toward the sacred Bindusaras lake. As she was set free, the celestial river divided into seven distinct streams. Three of these—Hladini, Pāvani, and Nalinī—auspicious waters of Shiva himself, flowed eastward, blessing the lands. The other three—Suchakshu, Sita, and Sindhu, the great river—journeyed westward, carrying their sanctity across the earth. The seventh stream, radiant and powerful, followed Bhagiratha’s divine chariot, for he, the royal sage, had mounted his celestial vehicle to lead Ganga’s descent. With unmatched might, Ganga surged ahead, and Bhagiratha followed her, guiding her from the heavens, from Shiva’s own head, down to the earth. As the river thundered downward, the air was filled with a fierce sound; schools of fish, turtles, and dolphins accompanied her, creating a wondrous spectacle. When the sacred waters touched the earth, the land gleamed with brilliance. Divine sages, Gandharvas, Yakshas, and Siddhas gathered, marveling at Ganga’s descent from the sky. They watched from flying palaces shaped like cities, astride noble horses and elephants, as Ganga made her way to earth. The gods themselves moved about in boats, witnessing the supreme wonder of Ganga’s arrival in the mortal world. Drawn by curiosity and awe, hosts of gods, immeasurably powerful, assembled in the heavens; their ornaments shone brightly as they flew, illuminating the sky. The sky was transformed, filled with clouds and shining like a hundred suns, as dolphins, serpents, and restless fish leapt through the waters. Lightning flashed across the heavens, the pale, surging waters spreading in thousands of streams. Flocks of swans filled the sky like autumn clouds, while Ganga herself moved swiftly in some places, crookedly in others, and sometimes broadened her course. At times she surged upward, at others she flowed gently and slowly, water striking against water, rising again and again before descending to earth. The waters that fell from Shiva’s head dropped once more upon the ground. Wherever the pure, cleansed water landed, it shone brilliantly. The sages and Gandharvas dwelling on earth eagerly touched the water fallen from Bhava’s (Shiva’s) body, declaring it sacred. Those who had been cast down from the heavens by a curse performed ablutions in Ganga’s waters; their impurities were washed away, and they were blessed with auspiciousness. Freed from sin, they ascended to their own worlds once more, rejoicing in the radiant water. All who bathed in Ganga became purified. Bhagiratha, the royal sage, continued ahead in his divine chariot, with Ganga following behind. All the gods, sages, Daityas, Dānavas, and Rākṣasas, along with the foremost Gandharvas, Yakshas, Kinnaras, great serpents, and Apsarases, followed Bhagiratha’s chariot, O Rama. The water-dwellers, pleased, followed Ganga as well. Wherever King Bhagiratha went, the glorious Ganga followed, the best of rivers and destroyer of all sins. As they approached the sacrificial ground of Jahnu, the great sage and wondrous performer of rites, Ganga flooded the area. Perceiving her insolence, Jahnu became angry and performed an extraordinary feat: he drank up all the water of Ganga. The gods, Gandharvas, and sages were astonished by this act. They honored Jahnu, the great-souled sage, and entreated him to accept Ganga as his daughter. Pleased, Jahnu released her from his ears, and thus Ganga became known as Jahnu’s daughter, Jāhnavī. Freed once more, Ganga followed Bhagiratha’s chariot and soon reached the ocean. She entered the netherworld to fulfill the purpose of Bhagiratha’s deed, and the royal sage carefully led her onward. There, he saw his ancestors, reduced to ashes and devoid of consciousness. With the excellent water of Ganga, Bhagiratha washed the heap of ashes; their sins purified, his ancestors attained heaven, O best of the Raghu line. Following the course of the Ganga, Bhagiratha reached the ocean and entered the depths of the earth where his ancestors’ ashes lay. When the ashes were immersed in Ganga’s waters, Brahma, lord of all worlds, spoke to Bhagiratha: “O tiger among men, sixty thousand sons of the great Sagara have been delivered and have ascended to heaven like the gods. As long as the water of the ocean exists in the world, O king, all the sons of Sagara will remain in heaven. This Ganga will be your eldest daughter; through your deed, she will be renowned in the world by your name. The divine Ganga is called Tripathaga and also Bhagirathi; since she traverses three paths, she is remembered as Tripathaga. You are the ancestor of all the forefathers here, O king of men; perform the water-rite and fulfill your vow. For previously, this wish was not attained by your illustrious and righteous predecessor.” Thus, through Bhagiratha’s devotion and determination, Ganga descended from the heavens, purified the earth and the ancestors, and became known as Bhagirathi and Jāhnavī, forever remembered for her sacred journey and the fulfillment of a king’s vow.