Ganga’s Descent and Makar Sankranti Story
🌊 The Descent of Goddess Ganga on Earth – Sacred Hindu Legend 🌊
🎉 King Sagara and His 60,000 Sons
King Sagara, the powerful ruler of Ayodhya, performed the sacred Ashvamedha Yajna.
To disturb the ritual, Lord Indra stole the sacrificial horse and tied it near the hermitage of Sage Kapila.
While searching for the horse, King Sagara’s 60,000 sons reached Sage Kapila’s ashram.
Mistaking him for the thief, they falsely accused the sage.
Enraged by their arrogance, Sage Kapila reduced them to ashes with his spiritual power.
As a result, their souls were deprived of liberation.
🪔 Efforts of King Anshuman
King Anshuman, grandson of King Sagara, reached Sage Kapila’s ashram with humility.
He sought forgiveness and prayed for the liberation of his ancestors.
Sage Kapila said:
“Only when the holy waters of the Ganga touch their ashes will they attain salvation.”
King Anshuman performed penance to bring Goddess Ganga to Earth, but he was unsuccessful.
🏵️ Efforts of King Dilipa
King Dilipa, son of Anshuman, continued the severe penance.
However, even he could not bring Goddess Ganga to Earth during his lifetime.
🌻 Severe Penance of King Bhagiratha
King Bhagiratha, son of Dilipa, performed intense penance for thousands of years.
Pleased by his devotion, Lord Brahma granted permission for Goddess Ganga to descend to Earth.
However, the force of Ganga’s flow was so powerful that Earth could not withstand it.
Therefore, King Bhagiratha prayed to Lord Shiva for help.
🌺 Lord Shiva and the Descent of Ganga
Lord Shiva held Goddess Ganga in his matted locks (Jata) and gently released her onto Earth.
Ganga followed King Bhagiratha’s path, which is why she is also known as Bhagirathi.
Lord Shiva earned the name Gangadhar, the bearer of the Ganga.
🎉 Liberation of the 60,000 Sons
When the sacred waters of the Ganga touched the ashes of King Sagara’s sons,
all 60,000 souls attained Moksha (liberation).
Hence, this extraordinary achievement is known as “Bhagiratha’s Effort”, meaning making the
impossible possible.
🪻 Summary
* Purpose of Ganga’s Descent: Liberation of ancestors
* Successful King: Bhagiratha
* Another Name of Ganga: Bhagirathi
* Name of Lord Shiva: Gangadhar
🪔 Main Sacred Verse of Ganga
* Nandini Nalini Sita Malati Cha Mahapaga * Vishnupadabja Sambhuta Ganga Tripathagamini * Bhagirathi Bhogavati Jahnavi Tridasheshwari * Dwadashaitani Namani Yatra Tatra Jalashaye * Snanodhyatah Smarennityam Tatra Tatra Vasamyaham
🌺 Significance of Makar Sankranti
Makar Sankranti marks the transition of the Sun into Capricorn (Makara Rashi).
From this day, Uttarayana begins, which is considered the daytime of the gods.
It is believed that on this sacred day,Ganga descended on Earth and granted liberation to King Sagara’s
ancestors.
Therefore, holy bathing, charity, and ancestor worship on Makar Sankranti are highly auspicious.
🌞 Why is Makar Sankranti Celebrated
* Worship of the Sun God
* Beginning of Uttarayana
* Celebration of the harvest season
* Charity, virtue, and service
🍚 Spiritual Importance of Sesame and Jaggery
* Sesame seeds (Til): Destroy sins
* Jaggery (Gud): Symbol of sweetness and harmony
* “Eat sesame and jaggery, and speak sweetly.”
🪁 Spiritual Message of the Festival
* From darkness to light
* From ego to humility
* From cold to warmth
* From negativity to positivity
🪻 Makar Sankranti – A Festival of Transformation
Makar Sankranti inspires people to embrace positive change, devotion, harmony, and spiritual growth.
support our blog
https://dharamkibate.blogspot.com
टिप्पणियाँ
एक टिप्पणी भेजें