In the Bhagavatam the greatest of Vishnu's devotees: he drinks the world's poison and catches the Ganga in his hair.
Appears in
Sati and Daksha's sacrifice — Skandha 4, adhyayas 2-7 — A father invites every god but his daughter's husband, and Sati goes anyway — the insult that ends in fire.
The churning of the ocean — Skandha 8, adhyayas 5-12 — Gods and demons churn the milk ocean together, and the first thing that rises is a poison only Shiva will drink.
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
Surrender and grace — Rescue comes when strength runs out: the elephant, the queen and the king are saved at the point they stop relying on themselves.
Devotion as the highest dharma — The Bhagavatam's own thesis (1.2.6): the highest dharma is devotion with no motive, which nothing can interrupt.
Questions to explore
Why does the Bhagavatam call Shiva the best of Vaishnavas?
