CHAPTER VIII.

GANGA.

GANGa (the Ganges), the chief of the sacred streams of India, whose waters are said to have the power of cleansing from all past, present, and future sins, is

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GANGA.

believed to be divine, and the account of her birth and appearance on earth forms an interesting episode in the Ramayana. The story is told to Rama by the hermit

[paragraph continues] Visvamitra, as he was travelling with Rama and his brother Lakshman. As soon as they reach the banks of the sacred stream,

"They bathed, as Scripture bids, and paid
Oblations due to god and shade."

As soon as they were seated, Rama said-

"'O saint, I yearn
The three-pathed Ganga's tale to learn.
Thus urged, the saint recounted both
The birth of Ganga and her growth:
The mighty hill with metals stored,
Himalaya, is, the mountains' lord,
The father of a lovely pair
Of daughters, fairest of the fair.
Their mother, offspring of the will
Of Meru, everlasting hill,
Mena, Himalaya's darling, graced
With beauty of her dainty waist.
Ganga was elder-born; then came
The fair one known by Uma's name.
Then all the gods of heaven, in need
Of Ganga's help their vows to speed,
To great Himalaya came and prayed
The mountain king to yield the maid.
He, not regardless of the weal
Of the three worlds, with holy zeal
His daughter to the Immortals gave--
Ganga, whose waters cleanse and save,
Who roams at pleasure, fair and free,
Purging all sinners, to the sea.
The three-pathed Ganga thus obtained,
The gods their heavenly homes regained.'" [**]

The sage next tells Rama that there was a mighty King of Ayodha named Sagara [*+] who, being childless,

and most anxious to have a son, propitiated the saint Bhrigu (or, according to other accounts, his grandson) by penances extending over a hundred years. At length the saint, pleased with Sagara's worship, said--

"From thee, O Sagar, blameless king,
A mighty host of sons shall spring,
And thou shalt win a glorious name,
Which none, O chief, but thou shalt claim;
One of thy queens a son shall bear,
Maintainer of thy race and heir;
And of the other there shall be
Some sixty thousand born to thee." [**]

Hearing this, the wives are anxious to know which of them is to have the one son, and which the multitude; but this the Brahman leaves them to decide. Kesini wishes for the one; and Sumati is pleased with the prospect of having sixty thousand.

"Time passed. The elder consort bare
A son called Ansuman, the heir.