Shloka 1.42.2
गङ्गावतरण-प्रार्थना (Bhagīratha’s Petition for the Descent of Gaṅgā)
स राजा सुमहानासीदंशुमान् रघुनन्दन ।तस्य पुत्रो महानासीद्दिलीप इति विश्रुत:।।1.42.2।।
yadi me bhagavan prīto yady asti tapasaḥ phalam | sagarasyātmajāḥ sarve mattaḥ salilam āpnuyuḥ ||1.42.18||
O Bhagavān—if You are pleased with me, and if my austerity bears fruit, may all the sons of Sagara receive from me the libation of water that completes their funeral rites.
O descendnt of the Raghus! that Anshuman became a very great monarch. He had a great son, Dilipa who became famous.
Pitṛ-dharma: fulfilling obligations to ancestors and the departed—Bhagīratha seeks merit not for himself but to complete rites that grant peace to others.
Bhagīratha petitions Brahmā after intense austerities, asking that Sagara’s sons may receive water-offerings through him (via Gaṅgā’s descent).
Selflessness and perseverance—he uses tapas as a means to serve family duty and collective welfare.