A Wisdom Archive on Bhagiratha

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

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 ...

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

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

Ravana then undertakes another penance for 10,000 years, endeavoring to please Lord Brahma. Brahma tells Ravana that he cannot grant him the immortality he desires, for none of the created are immortal. But Ravana obtains invulnerability against all celestial beings and living creatures, save man. Vishwamitra: king Kaushika undertakes a heavy penance, fasting and meditating for thousands of years to become the equal of Guru Vasishta, a Brahmarishi. He steadily rises to become a Rajarshi, or a royal saint after a thousand ...

Read more here: » Tapasya: Encyclopedia II - Tapasya - Famous Tapasvins

The Ganga is personified in Hinduism as a goddess: Maa Ganga (Mother Ganga). Hindu legend makes her the foster-mother of Karttikeya, who was actually a son of Shiva and Parvati Several places sacred to Hindus lie along the banks of the river Ganga, including Haridwar and Varanasi. It is believed that taking a dip in the river will wash away one's sins, and that having one's ashes disposed of in the Ganga after death may improve one's next life or even allow Moksha to be attained sooner. Devout Hindus make pilgrimag ...

Read more here: » Ganges River: Encyclopedia II - Ganges River - The Ganga in Hinduism

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. ...

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

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 India, in the modern state of Uttar Pradesh, along the banks of the Sarayu. The capital is Ayodhya. ...

Read more here: » Ikshvaku: Encyclopedia II - Ikshvaku - In Hinduism