KING SHANTANU AND GANGA

In his previous birth, Shantanu was Mahabhisha, a king of the Ikshvaku dynasty. Due to his meritorious deeds he attained heaven after his death. Once he got an opportunity to visit the court of Brahma where all the Devas and Ganga were also present. While the celestials were worshiping Brahma, a wind blew and displaced Ganga's clothes revealing her body. Everybody present there bashfully bent their heads except Mahabhisha who kept on gazing at her body. Upon seeing this act, Brahma lost his temper and cursed him and Ganga to be born as mortals and that Ganga will cause much emotional pain to him. He also said that he will be only freed from this curse when he becomes angry upon Ganga's deeds. Mahabhisha then requested Brahma to be born as the son of the Kuru king Pratipa and his wish was granted by Brahma.

King Shantanu was born to Pratipa and grew up to be just and fair ruler of Hastinapura. Once when he was walking by the Ganges River when he saw this incredibly beautiful woman. She was goddess Ganga in human form, but Shantanu did not know that. He was so enamored by her beauty that he at once asked Ganga to marry him. He put his heart, love, wealth and his entire kingdom at her feet and made this request. Ganga pleased with the King's love replied to him "O king, I shall accept to marry you on one condition-you must never ask me where I am from or the true nature of my origin, you must also never question me on any of my actions, good or bad. You must stand by me on all counts. If you act against any of these conditions I will leave you then and there." This was Ganga's condition. The king was so much in love that he accepted Ganga's condition and they both got married.

   

     Shantanu and Ganga lived a life of serene happiness and love. It was a perfect marriage. Ganga was pure in her thoughts and this attracted Shantanu to her to even more. Time passed and they were blessed with a newborn son. When the child was born Ganga took the child to the Ganges and cast it in the river immediately drowning and killing their newborn. She then walked back to the kingdom with a smile on her face. Shantanu was aghast with horror this brutal act. He could not believe what he had just seen but he stopped himself from asking Ganga any questions mindful of the promises he had made. As the years passed, Ganga gave birth to 6 more children and to each child she did the same, as soon as each child was born she dropped it in the river and drowned and killed it. Shantanu grieved as he was asked no questions and bore the pain with restraint. As the 8th child was born and walked to the river with the same intention, Shantanu could hold himself no longer.

He cried out, "Stop you heartless woman. Why did you do this wretched act, why do you do what no other mother would do? You are as insane as you are beautiful" He held Ganga's hand pleading her not to do this terrible act. As Shantanu restrained Ganga from committing this act terrible act Ganga replied "Dear king you have broken the promise you have made to me and the time had come for me to leave you. However before I leave I shall answer your questions and reveal my origin and my reasons for my actions. I am goddess Ganga and I am in this human form as a result of Sage Vashishta on the 8 Vasus.”  In Hinduism, the Vasus are attendant deities of Indra, and later Vishnu. They are eight elemental god representing aspects of nature, representing cosmic natural phenomenon. The name Vasu means 'Dweller' or 'Dwelling'. They are eight among the Thirty-three gods.

Ganga continues "Once, the wife of Prabhasa persuaded her husband to get her a cow which actually belonged to Rishi Vashishta. Prabhasa was initially reluctant to ask for anything from a Brahmin but disarmed by the usual weakness of a man towards his wife, he agreed to steal the cow for her. With the help of his seven brothers, the eight vasus purloined away Vashisht’s cow for Prabhasa’s wife. Rishi Vashisht, through his ascetic powers, figured out that the stealth was an act of the vasus. He cursed the eight vasus to be born on earth as mortals and suffer the pain like all mortals do.

The eight vasus begged Rishi Vashisht for mercy, but a curse could not be taken back. It could, at best, be modified. Rishi Vashisht granted some relief to the seven vasus that their lifetime on earth would be short and after that they could ascend to paradise. But the eighth vasu, Prabhasa, who instigated the other seven to steal the cow out of his passion for his wife would suffer the pain of the account of all the seven vasus.

He who committed a crime out of desire for his wife will never know the pleasure of a woman. Even without a wife and sons, he will spend his entire life struggling to serve his household. And in the end he will die at the hands of a woman, for his desire for a woman made him turn vasus into criminals.

The eight vasus then went to the Mother of all beings, Ganga to help them keep their stay on earth short. Ganga, who too was cursed by Brahma to suffer as a mortal on earth promised them that she would give them birth through her own womb and will drown them in the waters of Ganga to set them free from the curse the moment they would be born. Ganga drowned the seven vasus immediately on their birth, but Rishi Vashisht’s curse came true when she was about to drown Prabhasa-The eighth son and she was stopped by Shantanu. She took the eight son with her and promised to return him to the king at right time she named him Devavrata.

Whenever Shantanu missed Ganga and his son he would go to the bank of river Ganga and try to find her in the streams of water. 16 years passed away and king was waiting for his eighth son. One day as the winds blew hard and the waters of the Ganges rose in great waves, Shantanu, walking along its banks saw a small boy with the beauty and form of Devendra (the king of gods), amusing himself by building a dam across the flooding Ganges with his arrows. He watched stupefied as each arrow cast, turned into a thousand others creating a barrier in the mighty river. The scene of fury and jollity appeared to his eyes to be that of an indulgent mother playing with her child. Indeed it was so, because as the king stood transfixed with amazement at the sight, the goddess Ganga revealed herself and presented the child as Shantanu’s own, saying: "O king, here is the eighth child I bore you, known by the name of Devavrata. He has mastered the art of arms, and is unparalleled on earth equaling sage Parasurama’s skills, adept also, as he is, with the knowledge of the Vedas and the Vedanta, tutored by Vasishtha, and in arts and sciences, no less than Sukra himself. Take back your child, the finest archer and master statecraft, for he will bring immortal fame to his father’s name, and will be a great boon to posterity". With these words, she entrusted the child to his father, blessed the boy, before disappearing into the river. Upon reaching the capital Shantanu crowned Devavrata as the heir-apparent to the throne.

Here are the names of 8 vasus and their meanings:

Dhara	Earth	Prithvi	Support
Anala	Fire	Agni	Living
Anila	Wind	Vayu	Wind
Aha	Space	Antariksha	Pervading
Pratyusha	Sun	Aditya	Eternal
Prabhasa	Sky	Dyaus	Shining dawn
Soma	Moon	Chandramas	Soma Plant
Dhruva	Star	Nakstrani	Motionless

Next up- Devavrata becomes Bheeshma