Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana, Part A

Ganges River Delta

Image Source: NASA

The story which grabbed my attention immediately was that found in The Great Indian Epics, by John Campbell Oman, of Bagiratha and Ganga: The origin of the Ganges River, told to Rama by Vishvamitra prior to their visit to Mithila.

The sheer scale of time involved in this story is impressive. Just for fun, if Vishvamitra was telling Rama this story at ~5085 BCE (which is taken from this fascinating page regarding Scientific Dating of Ramayan Era), and this story relates ancient times, then using the reigning time given for each ruler as seen below, 92,000 total years elapsed within the ancient story alone. For this story to be dubbed ancient when it was related implies a passage of time nearly mind-boggling. 

Sagara reigned 30,000 years. 

Anshumat his son reigned 32,000 years. 

Dilipa, his successor, reigned 30,000 years.

Only Bhagiratha was able to succeed in his quest to elevate his 60,000 dead uncles to heaven; his holiness was enough to please Brahma while that of his ancestors was apparently lacking. I wonder if the moral of this story is that trying hard is not enough? All three of the unsuccessful kings were described as moral, pious, and unceasing in their efforts. Perhaps this tale is offering the message that Bagiratha was working smarter, not harder, which is why he succeeded. 

The river Ganges remains one of the most sacred places in the world today, and its creation is references in several places throughout Hindu literature. I love reading about mythological origins of actual places, and the tale of Ganga is retold in various ways; this could be part of a project on gods and goddesses at some point, or even part of a series on underlying morals or themes in Hindu stories.