A king of the solar line whose penance brought the Ganga to earth, and whose name now means a superhuman effort.
Appears in
Bhagiratha brings down the Ganga — Skandha 9, adhyayas 8-9 — Sixty thousand ancestors burned to ash, two generations of failed penance, and a third who brings a river down from heaven.
Embodies
Devotion under trial — A boy thrown from cliffs, a child sent out by his stepmother: faith in the Bhagavatam is proven where it costs the most.
Questions to explore
Why did Bhagiratha's ancestors need the Ganga?
What did the Ganga fear about coming down to earth?
