The point out of the river goddess Ganga happens all through the eighteen parvas or sections of the Mahabharata in a single kind or one other. Nevertheless it comes clearly for the very first time within the very first part, i.e. within the Adi Parva, the place Ganga in her human kind, meets King Shantanu of the Bharata and subsequently the Kuru dynasty, who had been the rulers of Hastinapura Who Wrote Mahabharata.
Now it so occurred that within the Ikshvaku race, was born a fantastic king Mahabhisha. He was all the time truthful in speech, sturdy, and dominated the earth justly. He carried out quite a few non secular sacrifices and by performing 100 Rajasuya and one thousand Ashvamedha sacrifices, he happy Indra, and thus attained heaven. It so occurred that at some point in heaven all of the celestials, royal sages, and different heavenly beings had been worshipping Brahma. Mahabhisha was additionally current on this celestial gathering. Ganga additionally got here to pay her respects wearing a white garment shining because the moonbeams.
Mahabhisha was enraptured by her magnificence and was gazing at her. Feeling the gaze of Mahabhisha, Ganga checked out him and each their eyes locked collectively. By a sudden gust of the wind, her garment was displaced and all of the celestial beings lowered their heads in order to not embarrass Ganga, however Mahabhisha went on gazing at her uncovered determine. This enraged Brahma and he cursed Mahabhisha to be born on earth and undergo the agonies of human beings. He additionally cursed Ganga to be born on earth and to offer Mahabhisha such psychological sufferings that he would virtually die with grief and would really feel a fantastic anger, upon which Mahabhisha’s curse would finish. In course of time, Mahabhisha was born as Shantanu and Ganga marries him to meet Brahma’s curse.
Shantanu was born because the son of King Pratipa. On the banks of the river Ganges, a fantastic King Pratipa of the Bharata line was practising strict austerities to be able to have an offspring. The heavenly maiden Ganga saw Pratipa and approached him. Ganga, the celestial maiden, girl of ravishing magnificence and generously endowed with all the female charms went as much as the royal sage and sat on his proper thigh, which in manliness resembled like a Sala tree. Because the maiden of beautiful magnificence sat on his thigh, King Pratipa requested that what was her need and Ganga answered that she desired him as her husband. The foremost of the Kurus, King Pratipa replied that to refuse a girl who got here of her personal accord isn’t taught by the sensible, but out of lust he has by no means gone after ladies or others’ wives and this was his vow. Ganga advised him that she was neither ugly nor inauspicious, she was gifted with uncommon magnificence and being a celestial maiden, she was worthy of being loved and so she ought to turn into her queen.
King Pratipa was drastically moved by her clever argument, and replied that certainly, she was of heavenly magnificence, however not at all might he break his vow. Furthermore, he couldn’t take her as an object of need, as she had embraced him by sitting on his proper thigh, which is the place for daughters and daughters-in-law. The left thigh is supposed for the spouse, on which Ganga didn’t sit. Due to this fact, King Pratipa accepted Ganga as his daughter-in-law and accepted her for his but unborn son. Listening to this, Ganga replied, that so be it, and promised to turn into the spouse of his son. She would drastically improve the virtues of the noble Bharata race and his son would turn into a fantastic and highly effective ruler. Ganga additionally laid down a situation, that his son ought to neither query any of her acts nor ought to communicate any unkind phrase and if he does so, then she is going to go away him endlessly. Having mentioned this the heavenly damsel, Ganga, disappeared from the royal sage Pratipa’s sight.
Thereafter, King Pratipa and his queen underwent excessive purification rites to be able to give delivery to a fantastic and a noble soul. In time, a son was born and he was named Shantanu that meant “son of the peaceable”, as a result of King Pratipa had attained peace by good control over his passions and wishes. As per the curse of Brahma, Mahabhisha was born as Shantanu. He grew up as the very best of the Kurus and realizing that one’s deed alone offers indestructible bliss; he all the time practiced advantage with utmost devotion. When Shantanu perfected all the humanities befitting a king and all of the virtues befitting a royal sage, King Pratipa and his queen determined to retire to the forest and lead their vanaprastha or forest dweller lives. Earlier than leaving, Pratipa topped Shantanu the King of Hastinapura and narrated to him how a celestial girl had approached him and the way he had promised her that his son would marry him. He urged Shantanu that if he chanced to fulfill any girl of celestial magnificence in secret, and if she asks to turn into his queen, then he ought to settle for her. He mustn’t ask who she is, the place has she come from, or query any of her acts, or communicate any unkind phrase to her, and easily marry her unconditionally. Thus commanding his son, King Pratipa retired to the forest alongside together with his queen.
King Shantanu was very smart and endowed with magnificent splendour like Indra himself. Sooner or later whereas he was taking a stroll alongside the banks of the Ganges, he got here to the realm that was often inhabited with CharaGas and Siddhas. Right here, his eyes fell upon a damsel of bewitching magnificence. Such was the radiance and splendour emanating from the blazing maiden that it appeared as if goddess Lakshmi had been incarnated. Wearing spotless white clothes of fine texture that appeared like lotus filaments, faultless and pearly tooth that matched her decorative pearls and different beautiful jewelry that she was bedecked with, this pretty maiden captured the center of Santanu. The King went on gazing on the splendid girl for a very long time as if ingesting her charming countenance, but even after repeated and plenty of draughts; it appeared to Shantanu that his thirst was nonetheless not quenched. The celestial maiden observed Shantanu agitatedly moving about. She herself was enamoured of his royal personage and shining grandeur and her coronary heart was set aflutter.
She gazed and gazed on Shantanu, who in flip couldn’t take his eyes from her. Softly, Shantanu then approached her and addressed her that whoever she could also be, a devi, an apsara, a gandharva, a rakshasini, a yakshini, a nagin, or a manavi, it didn’t matter to him, and solicited the faultless magnificence to be her queen. Listening to such candy and soft phrases, the maiden of good options, smiled on the keen and good-looking monarch and mentioned that she agreed however solely on a situation that none of her actions ought to be questioned and that he ought to all the time behave kindly in the direction of her. If he ever questioned her acts and even spoke a single unkind phrase, she is going to go away him endlessly. Shantanu agreed.
The damsel was very completely satisfied in acquiring the chief of probably the most superior Bharata race as her husband. Shantanu was equally happy with having a spouse of extraordinary qualities and of heavenly magnificence. They each lived a contented conjugal life as husband and spouse. The damsel taken care of all his comforts, and Shantanu by no means spoke an unkind phrase or questioned any of her acts. Ganga of the three programs, celestial, terrestrial, and subterranean, lived fortunately as Shantanu’s spouse, by making him happy together with her affection and care, her love and dutiful conduct, her dance and music, her cooking and fine arts. Shantanu fully drowned himself in Ganga’s charms and Ganga totally gratified Shantanu. Thus in mutual love and adoration, seasons and years glided by and so they had been blessed with eight sons, every of celestial magnificence.
King Shantanu and Queen Ganga had been blessed with eight sons; nevertheless, as quickly because the delivery occurred, Ganga took every of her sons to the river Ganges and smilingly drowned them into the river saying that this was for their very own good. One after the other, seven sons of King Shantanu perished, however true to his promise, he by no means questioned Ganga, or spoke harshly together with her. But, Shantanu suffered painful psychological agonies and remained in excessive sorrow on the lack of his sons. When the eighth son was about to be killed likewise by Ganga, the unhappy King might not include his grief of shedding seven sons, and out of anger, thus got here ahead and stopped Ganga from throwing his eighth son within the river. He angrily commanded Ganga to not kill his son, and requested her who she was and the way might she herself kill her personal kids? By being a murderess of her personal kids, she was committing an unpardonable sin and requested her that doesn’t the burden of this sin bear heavy on her coronary heart? Ganga seemed with unhappy and loving eyes at Shantanu and mentioned that she was Ganga, the daughter of Brahma, the daughter of Himavan, the daughter of Jhanu, and that she is not going to kill this eighth son as he had stopped her. She reminded Shantanu that as a result of he questioned her act and spoke unkindly to her, she is going to not dwell with him and shall go away to heaven. However earlier than departing, she answered Shantanu’s questions.
Answering Shantanu’s questions, Ganga knowledgeable that their eight sons had been the eight Vasus, who needed to take human kinds and that she killed seven of them as quickly as they had been born, solely to free them from Rishi Vashishtha’s curse. Thereafter, she narrated the entire story of the Rishi Vashishtha’s curse and advised Shantanu that his eighth son was Dyaus, and he was destined to dwell lengthy as a mortal and undergo many earthly agonies.
Ganga recounted how the Vasus had been cursed by Rishi Vashishtha. On the mountain Meru, an impressive forest was current that abounded in candy roots and water. In these woods, the ashrama of Varuna’s son, Rishi Vashishtha was additionally current and he practiced extreme penances and austerities in these lovely and peaceable environment. It so occurred that Surabhi, the daughter of Daksha, had by her relations with Rishi Kashyapa, introduced forth a daughter within the type of a wish-fulfilling cow, and named her as Nandini. Rishi Vashishtha to finish his Homa rites had obtained Nandini alongside together with her calf and so they roamed this forest with none worry. Sooner or later, the eight Vasus particularly, Agni, Prithvi, Vayu, Antariksha, Aditya, Dyaus, Chandramas, and Nakstrani, got here to this forest together with their wives, to have an outing. They loved the woods and marveled on the distinctive natural world. As they had been wandering round, the slender-waisted spouse of Dyaus saw Nandini grazing the lengthy grass. She gazed on the fine-looking cow who had all of the auspicious indicators like full udders, lovely hoofs, fine tail, giant eyes, and sleek motion. She known as Dyaus to take a look at this glorious cow and he too admired at the fantastic thing about Nandini. Dyaus advised her spouse that Rishi Vashishtha inhabited this forest and the cow is none different however Nandini and belonged to the Rishi. It’s mentioned that if any mortal drinks the milk of Nandini then that mortal shall take pleasure in youth for ten thousand years. When the dove-eyed spouse of Dyaus heard this, she recollected that on earth, she had a good friend named Jitavati, daughter of the royal sage Usinara, to whom she want to gift Nandini, in order that by ingesting the cow’s milk her good friend could also be free from illness, old age, and decrepitude. Thus, the spouse of Dyaus implored him to fetch it for her even when he needed to steal it. Dyaus, in an try and humour his spouse, stole the cow Nandini, with assistance from the opposite Vasus. Dyaus, at the moment was enamoured by the lotus-eyed and fair-thighed spouse of his, and he had forgotten that the sin of stealing a cow is unpardonable and by such a vile act, he was sure to fall from heaven.
Within the night, when Vashishtha returned to his hermitage after amassing twigs, flowers and fruits, he couldn’t see Nandini. He looked for her within the woods, however nonetheless couldn’t discover her. Then together with his ascetic imaginative and prescient, he saw how the Vasus stole Nandini. His anger was instantly incited and he cursed the Vasus to be born on earth as mortals. When the Vasus got here to know of the curse, they went to the nice Rishi and begged for his forgiveness. The Rishi mentioned that his curse can’t be taken again, however inside a 12 months of human existence, the seven Vasus would come again to heaven, excepting Dyaus, who for his shameful and sinful act should spend a very long time on earth and undergo a lot. He shall be noble and virtuous, totally conversant with all of the scriptures, properly versed in the usage of arms and statecraft, however shall by no means marry, shall by no means have any offspring, and shall by no means benefit from the company of girls. Thus announcing, the nice Rishi of nice ascetic wealth closed his eyes and resumed his meditation.
Now the Vasus had been drastically agitated and so they determined to not be born in any human womb. They knew that Ganga was additionally beneath a curse by Brahma to be born as a human being. In order that they thought if Ganga agreed then they might be born as Ganga’s sons, and thus would receive a divine womb. The Vasus went to goddess Ganga and implored her to be their mom. They pleaded with Ganga that as quickly as they’re born, to solid them into the river in order that they could expertise the least struggling and should return to heaven on the earliest. Ganga agreed to grant them this boon. Thus, the eight Vasus had been reborn because the eight sons of Ganga and Shantanu. Accordingly, Ganga freed all of the seven Vasus from the curse of sage Vashishtha by drowning them as quickly they had been born, excepting Dyaus, who was destined to undergo a protracted human life. Dyaus was the kid whom Shantanu had saved from being drowned by Ganga. This little one was named as Devav[ata, also referred to as Gangeya and Gangadatta, and later was often known as Bhishma on account of his horrible and awe-inspiring vow of remaining a celibate all through his life.
Thus answering the questions of Shantanu, Ganga alongside together with her new child son, took go away of Shantanu and mentioned that she shall educate him all the humanities and sciences befitting a king and shall duly ship him again after his educating is full. So saying, Ganga alongside together with her child son disappeared. After a number of years, when the schooling of Devavrata was full, Ganga offered him to King Shantanu saying that he shall be remembered for his valor and as a keeper of vows. So saying, Ganga handed over Devavrata to King Shantanu and departed to her heavenly abode. Devavrata grew as much as turn into the nice Bhishma, who was taught political science by Sage Brihaspati-the instructor of the gods; vedas and vedangas by Sage Vasishtha; and archery by Sage Bhargava or Parshurama. And so, Bhishma turned an impressive administrator and an invincible warrior.