Shloka 68
Bhāgīratha’s Tapas and the Petition to Gaṅgā (गङ्गावतरण-प्रसङ्गः)
न चावतारयामास चेष्टमानो यथाबलम् | तस्य पुत्र: समभवच्छीमान् धर्मपरायण:,(भगीरथं महात्मानं सत्यधर्मपरायणम् ।) यथाशक्ति चेष्टा करनेपर भी वे गंगाको पृथ्वीपर उतार न सके। दिलीपके भगीरथ नामसे विख्यात एक पुत्र हुआ जो परम कान्तिमान्, धर्मपरायण, सत्यवादी और अदोषदर्शी था। सत्यधर्मपरायण महात्मा भगीरथका राज्याभिषेक करके दिलीप वनमें चले गये
na cāvatārayāmāsa ceṣṭamāno yathābalam | tasya putraḥ samabhavac chrīmān dharmaparāyaṇaḥ (bhagīrathaṁ mahātmānaṁ satyadharmaparāyaṇam) |
Y aun esforzándose cuanto pudo, no logró hacer descender el Gaṅgā a la tierra. Entonces le nació un hijo—ilustre y firme en el dharma: el magnánimo Bhagīratha, célebre por su devoción a la verdad y a la rectitud. Tras entronizar y consagrar a Bhagīratha, entregado a la verdad y al dharma, Dilīpa partió al bosque.
सगर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Human effort has limits, yet dharma is sustained through continuity of righteous leadership: when one cannot complete a sacred task, a worthy successor—devoted to truth and dharma—carries the responsibility forward, and the elder may embrace renunciation after ensuring proper succession.
The speaker recounts that despite earnest effort, the attempt to bring the river Gaṅgā down to earth did not succeed. A son, Bhagīratha—renowned for truth and righteousness—was then born, and after his coronation, Dilīpa withdrew to the forest.