Shloka 69
Śoka-śamana: Kṛṣṇa’s Consolation and Nārada’s Exempla to Sṛñjaya
Chapter 29
भूरिदक्षिणमि क्ष्वाकुं यजमानं भगीरथम् | त्रिलोकपथगा गड्डा दुहितृत्वमुपेयुषी,“'त्रिपथगामिनी गंगाने पुत्रीभावको प्राप्त होकर पर्याप्त दक्षिणा देनेवाले इक्ष्वाकुवंशी यजमान भगीरथको अपना पिता माना
bhūridakṣiṇam ikṣvākuṁ yajamānaṁ bhagīratham | trilokapathagā gaṅgā duhitṛtvam upeyuṣī ||
Vāyu said: “Gaṅgā, who courses through the path of the three worlds, having assumed the status of a daughter, accepted Bhagīratha—an Ikṣvāku prince and a sacrificer renowned for giving abundant priestly gifts—as her father.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic reciprocity: a human who upholds sacrificial duty and generosity (dakṣiṇā) becomes worthy of divine affiliation. It also frames sacred rivers as moral agents who respond to righteous effort and lineage-duty.
Vāyu describes Gaṅgā’s relationship to Bhagīratha: the world-traversing river-goddess accepts him as her father by taking on the role of his daughter, underscoring Bhagīratha’s merit as an Ikṣvāku sacrificer famed for lavish gifts.