Bhagiratha was a great king in Hindu mythology who brought the River Ganga to Earth. Bhagiratha - Early Life. Bhagiratha was the king of Kosala, a kingdom in ancient India. He was a descendent of the great king Sagara of the Suryavamsa, or Sun Dynasty. He was one of the forefathers of Lord Rama, of the Ramayana, the epic in which Bhagiratha's tale is primarily recounted. He lost his father when he was just a child, and was raised by his mother. Bhagiratha was very intelligent, virtuous ...

Including:

• Bhagiratha - Early Life
• Bhagiratha - Bringing the Ganga to Earth
• Bhagiratha - Kapila's curse
• Bhagiratha - Bhagiratha's tapasya
• Bhagiratha - Ganga's fall
• Bhagiratha - Establishment of the river
• Bhagiratha - Commemoration
• Bhagiratha - Reference

Read more here: » Bhagiratha: Encyclopedia - Bhagiratha

See also:

Bhagiratha, Bhagiratha - Early Life, Bhagiratha - Bringing the Ganga to Earth, Bhagiratha - Kapila's curse, Bhagiratha - Bhagiratha's tapasya, Bhagiratha - Ganga's fall, Bhagiratha - Establishment of the river, Bhagiratha - Commemoration, Bhagiratha - Reference

Read more here: » Bhagiratha: Encyclopedia II - Bhagiratha - Commemoration

Bhagiratha was the king of Kosala, a kingdom in ancient India. He was a descendent of the great king Sagara of the Suryavamsa, or Sun Dynasty. He was one of the forefathers of Lord Rama, of the Ramayana, the epic in which Bhagiratha's tale is primarily recounted. He lost his father when he was just a child, and was raised by his mother. Bhagiratha was very intelligent, virtuous and kind hearted. When he came of age, Bhagiratha ascended to the throne of the kingdom of Kosala, today located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He was a pious, benevolent ruler who adhered to his ...

See also:

Bhagiratha, Bhagiratha - Early Life, Bhagiratha - Bringing the Ganga to Earth, Bhagiratha - Kapila's curse, Bhagiratha - Bhagiratha's tapasya, Bhagiratha - Ganga's fall, Bhagiratha - Establishment of the river, Bhagiratha - Commemoration, Bhagiratha - Reference

Read more here: » Bhagiratha: Encyclopedia II - Bhagiratha - Early Life

Bhagiratha - Kapila's curse. When king Sagara chose to perform the Ashwamedha yagna, his royal agents lost track of the sacrificial horse. Sagara ordered his sixty thousand sons by Sumati to track down the horse. The proud and mercurial princes raged across Bharat, burning down forests and uprooting life and property to find the horse. They finally arrived at a quiet spot where the Sage Kapila was sitting in meditation. Besides him was tied the white horse. The enraged princes condemned Kapila as a thief and attacked him. Using his terrible mys ...

See also:

Bhagiratha, Bhagiratha - Early Life, Bhagiratha - Bringing the Ganga to Earth, Bhagiratha - Kapila's curse, Bhagiratha - Bhagiratha's tapasya, Bhagiratha - Ganga's fall, Bhagiratha - Establishment of the river, Bhagiratha - Commemoration, Bhagiratha - Reference

Read more here: » Bhagiratha: Encyclopedia II - Bhagiratha - Bringing the Ganga to Earth

Rishi Jahnu appears in the story of Ganga and Bhagiratha. When Ganga came to earth after being released from lord Shiva's locks, her torrential waters wreaked havoc with Jahnu's fields and penance. Angered by this, the great sage drank up all of Ganga's waters to punish Ganga. Seeing this, the Gods prayed to the sage to release Ganga so that she could proceed on her mission to release the souls of the ancestors of Bhagiratha. Jahnu relented and he released Ganga's waters from his ear. For this, Ganga is also known as Jahnvi or

Read more here: » Rishi Jahnu: Encyclopedia - Rishi Jahnu

The rituals prescribed in Dharmic religions after the death of a human being, for his or her peace and ascent to heaven are: Niravapanjali is a sacred ritual in Hinduism where after the cremation rites, the ashes are ceremonially immersed in holy water by the closest relatives, so that the soul may rise to heaven. In Hindu mythology, king Bhagiratha performed a tapasya to bring down the river Ganga upon earth, so that he could immerse the ashes of ...

Read more here: » Dharmic rituals after death: Encyclopedia - Dharmic rituals after death

The Bhagirathi is one of the two major tributaries of the Ganga. It originates from the Gangotri glacier in Uttaranchal, India and flows for about 700 km before merging with the Alaknanda at Deoprayag. After the confluence (Sangam) at Deoprayag, the river is known as the Ganga or Ganges. The Bhagirathi is a traditionally sacred river to the Hindus of India, and is named after a mythological king named Bhagiratha, who is said to have brought the river down from heaven in order the redeem the souls of his ancestors. The con ...

Read more here: » Bhagirathi River: Encyclopedia - Bhagirathi River

Sri Rama, the seventh and most famous Avatara of Vishnu, of the epic Ramayana is a descendant of the house of Ikshvaku. Great kings like Bhagiratha and Dasaratha were also kings in the line before Rama. After Rama, the kingdom and the worldwide domains were divided equally between his two sons, Luv, king of the northern and western realms, and Kusa, who was made king of the southern and eastern realms. ...

See also:

Ikshvaku, Ikshvaku - In Hinduism, Ikshvaku - In Vedic History, Ikshvaku - House of Ikshvaku, Ikshvaku - Comtemporary Theories, Ikshvaku - See Also

Read more here: » Ikshvaku: Encyclopedia II - Ikshvaku - House of Ikshvaku

Bhagiratha:

Bhagiratha (Bhageeratha). King of Solar Dynasty, son of Amsuman. Gave up his kingdom for enlightenment, but eventually returned as king.

(See also: Bhagiratha, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Bhagirati:

Bhagirati (Bhaageerathi). Name for the Ganga river, because Bhagiratha brought the river to earth.

(See also: Bhagirati, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Koshala

The kingdom of north-central India ruled by great kings like Sagara, Bhagiratha, Khatvanga, Raghu, Dasharatha, and Lord Ramachandra. Its capital was Ayodhya.

(See also: Koshala, Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Kailas:

Kailas (Kailaasa). Siva's mountain abode; Bhagiratha performed penance here to bring down the river Ganga.

(See also: Kailas, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Mainaka:

Mainaka (Mainaaka). Holy mountain north of Kailasa. Bhagiratha did penance to bring the Ganga to the earth on this mountain.

(See also: Mainaka, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Ganges (Ganga): (Sanskrit)

India's most sacred river, 1,557 miles long, arising in the Himalayas above Hardwar under the name Bhagiratha, and named Ganga after joining the Alakanada (where the Sarasvati is said to join them underground). It flows southeast across the densely populated Gangetic plain, joining its sister Yamuna (or Jumna) at Prayaga (Allahabad) and ending at the Bay of Bengal.

See: Gangetic Plain.

(See also: Ganges, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Ganga (Sanskrit) The Ganges, the sacred river of India. The Puranas and old tales of India represent the goddess Ganga transforming herself into a river and then flowing from the toe of Vishnu. She is said to have been brought from heaven by the prayers of Bhagiratha to purify the ashes of the 60,000 sons of King Sagara who had been consumed by the angry glance of the sage Kapila.

The Ganges, like many other ancient, highly revered streams, was an emblem of the flowing from spirit to matter, or from celestial realms to material, of occult forces including streams of wisdom and power flowing from heaven to earth or from gods to mankind, an idea which once understood kept perennially before people's minds the reality of the spiritual worlds and their intimate interconnection with the realms of physical space and time.

As the true interpretation of this old tale gradually was lost, there arose the religious belief that the actual waters of the Ganges were sin-cleansing, reminiscent of the supposed sin-cleansing power of the river Jordan in Christian and even in certain Jewish thought.

(See also: Ganga, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Sagara (Sanskrit) With poison; a king of the solar dynasty and sovereign of Ayodhya, said to have been called sagara because he was born together with a poison given to his mother by the other wife of his father.

Legend relates that he was the father of 60,000 sons who were turned into a heap of ashes by a glance of the sage Kapila, and their funeral ceremonies could be performed only in the waters of the Ganges, which had to be brought from heaven for the purpose of purifying their remains. This was finally accomplished by the devotion of Bhagiratha, who having led the river to the sea, called it Sagara in honor of his ancestor.

"That the story is an allegory is seen upon its very face: the 60,000 Sons, brutal, vicious, and impious, are the personification of the human passions that a 'mere glance of the sage' -- the self who represents the highest state of purity that can be reached on earth -- reduces to ashes. But it has also other significations -- cyclic and chronological meanings, -- a method of marking the periods when certain sages flourished, found also in other Puranas" (SD 2:571).

The 60,000 sons also represent 60,000 years of the cycle known mystically as Jatayu, the son of Garuda, king of the feathered tribe.

(See also: Sagara, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Rāma or Rama (rāma in IAST, राम (or Sri Rama: श्रीराम) in Devanagari) is the Seventh Avatara of Vishnu. His full name is Ramachandra, and he is reverently addressed as Sri Rama. He is the embodiment of the Absolute Brahman and Dharma. He is the Mariyada ...

Including:

• Rama - Origins
• Rama - Prince of Ayodhya
• Rama - The Avatara
• Rama - With Vishwamitra
• Rama - Marriage to Sita
• Rama - Rama's Arrow
• Rama - Banishment to the Forest
• Rama - The Destruction of Khara
• Rama - The Kidnapping of Sita
• Rama - In Kishkindya
• Rama - The War
• Rama - Rama Rajya
• Rama - Uttara Kanda
• Rama - Sita's banishment
• Rama - In History and Mythology
• Rama - Modern Portrayal in India
• Rama - Symbolism of Rama
• Rama - Portrayal in South East Asia

Read more here: » Rama: Encyclopedia - Rama

Tapasya is the principle and practice of physical and spiritual austerity and discipline to achieve a particular aim. A Sanskrit word, Tapasya is literally an personal endeavor of discipline, undertaken to achieve a goal. It is usually applied in religious and spiritual terms, but can be applied to any field or context. One who undertakes a tapasya is a Tapasvin. Monks and gurus in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism practice tapasya as a means to purify and strengthen their devotion to Go ...

Including:

• Tapasya - Undertaking Tapasya
• Tapasya - Brahmacharya
• Tapasya - Yoga and Vows
• Tapasya - Religion and Mythology
• Tapasya - Famous Tapasvins
• Tapasya - Buddha and Mahavira
• Tapasya - Modern Tapasvins
• Tapasya - Exhausting or Violating Tapasya
• Tapasya - See Also

Read more here: » Tapasya: Encyclopedia - Tapasya

Ikshvaku is the first king and founder of the Sun Dynasty in Vedic civilization in ancient India. He was the son of Manu, sired by the Sun God, Surya. Ikshvaku - In Hinduism. Ikshvaku is the first king to implement the Manusmriti, or the religious rules of Hindu living composed through divine inspiration and from the Vedas by his father. He is remembered in Hindu mythology as a righteous and glorious king. The House of Ikshvaku reigns over Kosala, an ancient kingdom in the northeast river plains of I ...

Including:

• Ikshvaku - In Hinduism
• Ikshvaku - In Vedic History
• Ikshvaku - House of Ikshvaku
• Ikshvaku - Comtemporary Theories
• Ikshvaku - See Also

Read more here: » Ikshvaku: Encyclopedia - Ikshvaku

After Rama weds Sita and the entire royal family and the Ayodhya army begin their journey back, the great rishi Parashurama Bhargava appears before them, having descended from his mountainous hermitage. Parashurama is an extremely powerful rishi, responsible for killing all of the world's warriors and kings 21 times. He was formerly the sixth Avatara of Vishnu, and finds it unbelievable that anybody could break the bow of Siva. Considering himself to still be the most powerful warrior-rishi on earth, he brings with them the bow of Vishnu, and intends to challenge Rama to prove his strength by stringing it, and then fighting a ...

See also:

Rama, Rama - Origins, Rama - Prince of Ayodhya, Rama - The Avatara, Rama - With Vishwamitra, Rama - Marriage to Sita, Rama - Rama's Arrow, Rama - Banishment to the Forest, Rama - The Destruction of Khara, Rama - The Kidnapping of Sita, Rama - In Kishkindya, Rama - The War, Rama - Rama Rajya, Rama - Uttara Kanda, Rama - Sita's banishment, Rama - In History and Mythology, Rama - Modern Portrayal in India, Rama - Symbolism of Rama, Rama - Portrayal in South East Asia

Read more here: » Rama: Encyclopedia II - Rama - Rama's Arrow