"Lomasa said, 'That same king, of a powerful bow, standing at the head
of the surrounding, (i.e., the occupant of an imperial throne) of a
powerful car, (i.e., possessing every great fighting power) became the
delight of the eyes and the soul of all the world. And he of the
powerful arm came to learn how his forefathers had met an awful end from
Kapila of mighty soul, and how they had been unable to attain the region
of gods. And he with a sorrowful heart made over his kingly duties to
his minister, and, O lord of men! for practising austerities, went to
the side of the snowy Mountain (the Himalayas). And, O most praiseworthy
of men, desirous of extinguishing his sins by leading an austere life,
and (thereby) obtaining the favour of the (goddess) Ganga, he visited
that foremost of mountains--Himalaya. And he beheld it adorned with
peaks of diverse forms full of mineral earth; besprinkled on all sides
with drops from clouds which were resting themselves upon the breeze;
beautiful with rivers and groves and rocky spurs, looking like (so many)
palaces (in a city); attended upon by lions and tigers that had
concealed themselves in its caves and pits; and also inhabited by birds
of checkered forms, which were uttering diverse sounds, such as the
Bhringarajas, and ganders, and Datyuhas, and water-cocks, and peacocks
and birds with a hundred feathers, and Jivanjivakas, and black birds,
and Chakoras of eyes furnished with black corners, and the birds that
love their young. And he saw the mountain abounding in lotus plants
growing in delightful reservoirs of water. And the cranes rendered it
charming with their sounds; and the Kinnaras and the celestial nymphs
were seated on its stony slabs. And the elephants occupying the cardinal
points had everywhere robbed its trees with the end of their tusks; and
the demi-gods of the Vidyadhara class frequented the hill. And it was
full of various gems, and was also infested by snakes bearing terrible
poison and of glowing tongues. And the mountain at places looked like
(massive) gold, and elsewhere it resembled a silvery (pile), and at some
places it was like a (sable) heap of collyrium. Such was the snowy hill
where the king now found himself. And that most praiseworthy of men at
that spot betook himself to an awful austere course of life. And for one
thousand years his subsistence was nothing but water, fruit and roots.
When, however, a thousand years according to the calculation of gods had
elapsed, then the great river Ganga having assumed a material form,
manifested to him her (divine) self.
"'Ganga said. "O great king! what dost thou desire of me? And what must
I bestow on thee? Tell me the same, O most praiseworthy of men! I shall
do as thou mayst ask me." Thus addressed, the king then made his reply
to Ganga, the daughter of the snowy Hill, saying, "O grantress of boons!
O great river! my father's fathers, while searching for the horse, were
sent by Kapila to the abode of the god of death. And those same sixty
thousand sons of Sagara of mighty soul, having met with the majestic
Kapila, perished, (to a soul) in an instant of time. Having thus
perished, there hath been no place for them in the region of heaven. O
great river! So long as thou dost not besprinkle those same bodies with
thy water, there is no salvation for these same Sagara's sons. O blessed
goddess! carry thou my forefathers, Sagara's sons, to the region of
heaven. O great river! on their account am I beseeching thee
forsooth."'
"Lomasa said, 'Ganga, the goddess saluted by the world, having heard
these words of the king, was well pleased, and spake to Bhagiratha the
following words: "O great king! I am prepared to do what thou dost ask
me; there is no doubt therein. But when I shall descend from the sky to
the earth, the force of my fall will be difficult to sustain, O
protector of men! In the three worlds there exists none who is able to
sustain the same, excepting Siva, the most praiseworthy of gods, the
great Lord with the throat of sable blue. O (prince) of a powerful arm!
Obtain the favour, by practising austerities, of that same Siva--giver
of boons. That same god will sustain my descent upon his head. Thy
desire he will fulfill, the desire, namely, to be of service to thy
fathers, O king!" Then the great king Bhagiratha having heard the same,
went to the Kailasa hill, and betaking himself to a severe course of
penances, at the expiration of a certain length of time obtained the
favour of that worker of blessings (Siva). And, O protector of men! that
same best of men, in order that his forefathers might have a place in
heaven secured to them, received from that very Siva the fulfilment of
his wish, namely the wish that the descending Ganga might be
sustained.'"