Shloka 1.43.35
गङ्गावतरणम् (The Descent of the Gaṅgā and Bhagiratha’s Fulfilment)
तस्यावलेपनं ज्ञात्वा क्रुद्धो यज्वा तु राघव।।।।अपिबच्च जलं सर्वं गङ्गाया: परमाद्भुतम्।
tasyāvalepanaṃ jñātvā kruddho yajvā tu rāghava |
apibac ca jalaṃ sarvaṃ gaṅgāyāḥ paramādbhutam ||
O Rāghava, perceiving her arrogance, the sacrificer Jahnu became enraged and—most astonishingly—drank up all the waters of Gaṅgā.
O Descendant of the Raghu dynasty! sage Jahnu who was performing the sacrifice, observed her pride and grew furious. And astonishingly drank the entire waters of Ganga.
Power—however sacred—must be tempered by humility; violating rightful limits invites corrective restraint by those upholding dharma.
Jahnu, angered by Gaṅgā’s overbearing flood into his ritual space, miraculously drinks her waters.
Jahnu’s uncompromising protection of dharmic order and ritual sanctity.