Ganga is revered as a mother, but why did she kill her seven sons in the Mahabharata? There are many fascinating myths associated with Ganga, who is worshiped on Earth as a mother. According to one such myth, she killed her seven sons immediately after their birth. Why did she commit such a horrifying act? Let's explore this intriguing story...
No deity wishes to be born in human form on Earth, as it binds them to a mortal body and subjects them to various sufferings. For them, being born as a human on Earth is nothing less than a curse. Mother Ganga, who exists on Earth in the divine form of a river, bestows life on the inhabitants of this planet and washes away the sins of many. This story is related to this very quality of hers, where she went against her nurturing nature and killed her seven sons during the Mahabharata era. Let's learn the full story...
According to the myth, Ganga did this for the redemption of the eight Vasus. The Vasus are followers of Indra and Vishnu and reside with them in heaven. These eight Vasus each represent different elements like Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Sun, Sky, Moon, and Stars.
The Curse of the Eight Vasus
According to the story, one of the Vasus, Prabhasa, saw a cow in the forest one day, which belonged to Sage Vashishta. His wife desired to possess that cow. To fulfill his wife's wish, Prabhasa, with the help of his wife and seven brothers, stole the cow. When Sage Vashishta discovered this, he cursed all of them to be born in the mortal world. When the Vasus realized their mistake, they begged the sage for forgiveness. The sage said that seven of them would leave the mortal world within a year of their birth, but Prabhasa would bear the full brunt of the curse.
The Marriage of Ganga and Shantanu
In his previous life, Shantanu was the great king Mahabhisha of the Ikshvaku dynasty. He had performed thousands of Ashwamedha Yagnas and after his death, was granted a place in heaven. One day, during an assembly in Brahma's court, Ganga, along with other deities, was present. As everyone was in a prayer posture, Ganga's garment fluttered due to the wind. Everyone lowered their heads upon seeing this, but Mahabhisha did not, and Ganga did not stop him. Seeing this, Lord Brahma became angry and cursed both of them to be born on Earth. Ganga could only return to heaven after breaking Mahabhisha's heart on Earth. The eight Vasus also approached Ganga and requested her to become their mother when they were born on Earth. Ganga agreed.
One day, King Pratipa of the Kuru dynasty was meditating in the forest. Ganga appeared before him in the form of a beautiful woman and sat on his right thigh. When Pratipa asked the reason, Ganga expressed her desire to marry him. However, Pratipa explained that the right thigh is meant for a daughter, daughter-in-law, or son, and suggested she marry his son instead. Ganga agreed but set a condition that she would marry Shantanu only if he promised never to question her actions. The day he did, she would leave him. Shantanu agreed to this condition, and they were married, with Shantanu becoming the king of Hastinapur. Some time later, Ganga gave birth to Shantanu's first son and took the newborn to the river, drowning him. Ganga did the same with seven sons, drowning them and freeing them from their curse.
When the eighth child was born, Shantanu could not hold back and questioned Ganga about his heir. Ganga then narrated the entire story and left with their son. Shantanu, heartbroken, took up a life of celibacy. Ganga ensured that her son received education in scriptures from Sage Vashishta and martial training from Parashurama. When he was grown, Ganga returned her eighth son, Devavrata, also known as Bhishma Pitamah, to Shantanu. Thus, only one Vasu, Bhishma Pitamah, lived to endure his curse.
Comments
Post a Comment