Pitru Vatsalya - The story of Bhagirath

By Sri Chiraan 2009/09/30

If the lagna of father is 10th to that of son, son will have extreme devotion towards his father and ancestors. Similarly, pitru pada and lagna pada are in mutual kendras there will be extreme affection between the son and the father. 

Sanatan dharma [Vedic way of life] stresses extreme importance of the kartavya [duties] towards our Pitru [father and ancestors]. Pitru tarpan and solace to ancestors departed is very essential to the happiness and general well being of the family. However it is quality of followers of dharma that they perform duty out of consciousness of Dharma coupled with love towards Pitrus rather than greed of well being. This is known as Pitru vatsalya.

The story of Sagar putra is good example of this vatsalya as how generations together a dynasty struggled to free its ancestors from sin and curse. This is a great lesson to us that we our actions affect our Pitrus and vice versa. So one must be careful with one’s karma as it affects 7 generations prior to us and seven generation following us. A man can suffer himself but cannot bear to see his children and manes suffering owing to him.

Once there lived a very pious King named SAGAR. He had two wives, one son named ASAMANJAS from one wife and 60000 from other. Asmanjas grew to be very cruel, he threw the children of the city into Sarayu river. The subjects complained to the King and King abandoned Asamanjas. Asamanjas had developed 'vairagya' and wanted to take sanyas and leave the world. But as Sagar was intent on making him King, He acted like cruel, once abandoned he made his real intention clear and brought back all the children from Sarayu river.

Many years later Sagar decided to perform Ashwamedha yagnya. The horse of Aswamedhayagnya was stolen by Indra and tied it near Kapila Muni in patala loka. 60000 sons of Sagar went to search the horse. In their attempt to reach Patal they dug the entire earth. This resulted in lowering of the land and samudra [ocean] surrounding jambu dweep entered the earth and thus we could see formation of SAAGAR [sea]. As samudra gave way to smaller sea [this was due to Sagar sons’] and thus named SAAGAR.

Now as they reached Patala loka, they thought Kapila muni himself has stolen the horse, in ignorance like patanga insects attacking fire flame  attacked Kapila. [Kapila is form of VISHNU] Lord Kapila opened his eyes and all the 60000 were reduced to ashes. [Lord who is capable of bringing pralaya and reducing entire creation to ashes, this act is no surprising].

Asamanjas ‘s son Anshuman went looking for the horse, As he came to Patala, he prayed Lord Kapila and asked his forgivance towards his uncles. Lord blessed Anshuman and gave him the horse, also told him that only Ganga if brought down on earth to Patala, when flows over the ashes of the Sagar sons will ensure them a place in swarga.

Anshuman took the horse and Sagar completed the yagnya. To give solace to his pitrus, Anshuman started a penance to bring the Ganga to the earth. Even before achieving the task, he left the world. His son Dileep also went into forest to bring the Ganga, but died before achieving the task in his life time. [Imagine spending a lifetime in penance and giving life in the pursuit to bring solace to Pitrus].

Dileeps son Bhagirath  too went into forest and after a penance of 1000 years to Bramha asked the Ganga to be brought down to the earth. Ganga expressed her force was too heavy and would split the earth if she falls unchecked and hence would require someone to control and check her flow. Bhagirath went into penance for another 1000 years to Lord Shiva and requested him to take it into his jata. But AS GANGA FELL INTO THE JATA , to teach ganga a lesson and relieve her from ego, Shiva tightened his jata that not a single drop flew out of it. Bhagirath again prayed for many years to request Rudra to release ganga. 

Shiva released a strand and with great flow Ganga fell on Himalayas. Bhagirath the noble minded in order to make many places pure and blessed, took Ganga to trace a long track around earth to Patala. On the way, Ganga's flow disturbed Agastya muni and Sage drank entire ganga. Bhagirath again prayed to the sage and sage brought out the River through his ears. [Thus all Bramhins are said to have sannidhi of ganga in the ear].

Bhagirath brought the Jhanhvi [being daughter of King Jahnu, Ganga is also known as Jahnvi] to Patala to flow over his mane’s ashes, Sagar sons went to swarga.

Ganga had come into existence by the touch of foot of Lord Trivikrama [haripada]. So Ganga is HaripadaUdaka, and thus by the touch of sacred pada of the Lord, it can destroy many sins and purify Sagar’s sons and absolve them of the sins. Here there should not be any doubt then that Pada of Hari himself when resorted to can destroy many a sins and purify us.  Thus shravan manan and kirtan [listening to, meditating on lords’ feet] will definitely give Moksha.

Krishnarpanamastu